To Have & To Hold
by The Magnificent Kiwi
Summary: A year after Jill left Carlos, Chris proposes and Jill falls pregnant with his child. But for some people letting go is harder than it seems, and just how far will they go to prove their love? Sequel to Stop Living The Lie. FINISHED!
1. Prologue

And when I touch your hand  
  
It's then I understand  
  
The beauty that's within  
  
It's now that we begin  
  
You always light my way  
  
I hope there never comes a day  
  
No matter where I go  
  
I always feel you so *Michelle Branch - Everywhere*  
  
"Hey!" Yelled a short brunette woman. She was about 5'6" with  
  
chocolate brown hair and electric blue eyes. Her eyes weren't  
  
naturally that colour, but were the result of being infected with the  
  
T-Nemesis virus. She wore the standard S.T.A.R.S. uniform, khaki  
  
combat pants and a tight white shirt. The woman's name was Jill  
  
Valentine. She jogged up the hill, breathing heavily.  
  
"You...might be a...able to run this fast with-without rest, but...I  
  
can't," She choked out, coming up alongside Chris Redfield. He smiled  
  
at her.  
  
"This is just training, how are you gonna manage out in the field?"  
  
He asked. It was more of a rhetorical question, but Jill answered  
  
with a finger. Chris heard his pager beep and looked at it.  
  
"It's over," He told his fiancee, "We won!" Jill smiled. At long  
  
last, Barry had fell to the erm...great Alpha Team. Everything had  
  
happened so quick. It didn't seem five minutes since Jill met Chris  
  
again in Starbucks, funnily enough, that was the last time they ever  
  
saw Carlos or Rebecca. Not that they wanted to see them. That was a  
  
year ago. Since then, Umbrella had been defeated, Claire and Leon  
  
had 'got together', Sherry had developed and got over an obsessive  
  
infatuation with Chris, Chris had been promoted to captain, and him  
  
and Jill became the most respective people in the Charlotte City  
  
Police Department, and Chris had proposed to Jill the week before.  
  
When he got down on one knee, Jill didn't know whether to cry, faint  
  
or puke. Well, first she cried, then she puked, then after she said  
  
yes, she fainted. They had set a date already. It was in two months,  
  
on the 24th July, they day they fell in love with each other. They  
  
had expected Sherry to have a crying fit until they agreed that she  
  
could be a bridesmaid, and Claire to ask them politely. But...Claire  
  
had the crying fit and Sherry asked politely. Even Jill's kitten,  
  
Baby, purred and rubbed Chris' legs. Jill had found that since  
  
adopting Baby, she had to pass all her friends through her. She  
  
trusted her judgment, as she hissed furiously at the mere mention of  
  
Carlos' name. She even scratched up a photo of him (Baby, not Jill).  
  
Yes, life seemed perfect for Jill and Chris, and, they hoped, that  
  
was the way it was going to stay.  
  
AN- After I finished Stop Living The Lie (Which I wrote a long time ago) I started to write this, but I ran out of ideas and just abandoned it, but I'm going to give it another go. The wait for Resident Evil 4 has me hyped up enough for more ideas. I would appreciate some ideas if you have any, though. Updates might be a bit slower on this one. Please R&R, and thank you to everyone who reviewed Stop Living The Lie (except Mr. Madison). 


	2. The Box

It is amazing to see  
  
That You chose people like me  
  
Who get off track, fall, crashin' down to the ground  
  
But that's when You pick me up  
  
And show Your strength is enough  
  
You can use a broken heart to heal a broken life *I Could Be The One - Stacie Orrico* Jill drummed her fingers on the table. It was starting to get dark outside. She stood up and walked around the room a few times before sitting back down, picking up a bridal magazine and flicking absently through the pages. She threw it down on the table and stood up again. She walked into the empty living room and reached for the remote when a small ball of fur landed on her shoulder. She screamed. "Baby!" She yelled, picking the kitten up and placing her on the sofa. "How many times have I told you not to do that? And you climbed up the shelves again!" Baby just looked at her and miaowed. Jill smiled and sat down on the couch. She picked baby up and placed her in her lap. "At least someone's here," She told the kitten. "Chris is late, again." Baby jumped down and padded over to the downstairs bathroom door. She sniffed at it and mewed. Jill walked over to her, puzzled. Baby pawed at the door, trying to open it. Jill reached for the handle when the door flew open. "BOO!" Yelled Claire. Jill just looked at her. "What?" Claire asked. Jill just shook her head. "I thought you were working late?" "Yeah, I was, but Chris swapped shifts with me." Jill sighed. Claire put a hand on her shoulder. "You do know he's working overtime to pay for the wedding?" "I know, but he's never here anymore, I hardly see him," Jill said. "He just wants it to be special," Claire told her. Jill looked at her future sister-in-law. "How do you know?" She asked, "You're his sister, he doesn't talk to you about things like that." Claire shrugged then smiled. "Yeah, well I listen in on his phone calls," She explained. Jill looked at her in horror. "Hey!" She defended, "I'm his sister, it's my duty. Besides, it's for educational purposes. And entertainment." She sat down on the sofa and turned on the T.V. Jill walked over and sat beside her. She stared at the television screen as Claire flicked through channel after channel. How was she going to tell them? How was she going to tell Chris. The T.V. stopped on an old episode of Will & Grace. Claire groaned. She shifted a bit and Pulled something from underneath her. She looked to see what it was, but Jill grabbed it. "What the?" Claire said. "What is it?" Jill tried to shove it in her pocket, but found that she had none. "It's...Nothing," She said, "A...a friend left it." Claire gave her an I- don't believe-you look. "Really?" She asked, her expression changing to a lets-shit-stir one, "Well, what is it then?" Jill shrugged. "I dunno," She mumbled, fiddling with the strap of her watch. Claire reached over and grabbed the box which she had sat on. "Well, lets find out then!" "NO!" Jill yelled, trying to get it off her. "Claire, seriously, give it back!" Claire laughed. "So it is yours then?" Jill hastily shook her head, trying to grab it, but Claire ran into the kitchen. Jill followed her. "Come on, Jill!" Claire said, "It can't be that bad." She looked up at her friend to see that her face had gone white. She tipped the contents of the box out onto the table. Grinning, she looked at them, but her smile soon faded and she looked at Jill in complete shock. AN- So, what do you think was in the box? And what do you think the box is? Until next time. R&R please. Sorry it was a bit short. :( Disclaimer- I own nothing except my mind, which went missing not long ago. 


	3. Letter From A Lost Friend

You- you ask me what went wrong,  
  
Me- I'll write you this last song  
  
Please- just tell me one way we can win  
  
One- more thing before I go  
  
Two- the one who loves me so  
  
Three- don't make me count to three again  
  
*All-American Rejects - Happy Endings*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chris took his keys out of his pocket and opened the front door of  
  
his house. The moment he stepped in the doorway, he knew that  
  
something was wrong. The only sound came from an old episode of Will  
  
& Grace that was playing on the T.V. He walked over and turned it  
  
off. Looking around he noticed that the sofa was a mess. Cushions  
  
and pages of newspapers were strewn all over it. He put his keys  
  
back in his pocket and walked over to the kitchen, where the only  
  
light was coming from. He opened the door and saw Claire looking  
  
down at something, and Jill looking at her. On hearing the door  
  
open, Jill turned around.  
  
"Chris!" She squealed. Chris gave her a puzzled look.  
  
"Yeah," He said, "Nice to see you too." He saw something move out of  
  
the corner of his eye, and turned to see Claire hastily shoving  
  
something in her pocket. When she saw him looking, she smiled.  
  
"Hey big bro!" She said, walking over and giving him a hug.  
  
"Hi," He said, looking at Jill. "Are you alright? You look a bit  
  
pale." Jill opened her mouth to say something, but clasped her hand  
  
over her mouth, pushed pass Chris and ran out of the room. Chris  
  
looked at Claire, expecting her to explain everything.  
  
"PMS," She said. Chris faked a smile and turned when he heard  
  
someone being sick in the downstairs bathroom. He ran to it.  
  
"Jill?" He said. She laughed.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have had that curry for lunch!" She said. Chris  
  
kneeled down beside her and put his arm around her.  
  
"You take it easy, ok?" He said, kissing her on the cheek. She  
  
blushed. "Listen, I'm gonna go take a shower, if you need me, just  
  
shout." Jill nodded. After Chris had left, Claire turned to look at  
  
Jill.  
  
"Curry?" She said. "Jill, you don't even like curry!" Jill closed  
  
the lid of the toilet and flushed it, she turned to Claire and sat  
  
down on it.  
  
"Maybe I changed my mind," She said, "Is there any Pot Noodles  
  
left?" Claire put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a blue box.  
  
It was a bit squashed. She threw it down infront of Jill and reached  
  
into her pocket again. This time she pulled out a few pieces of  
  
paper, she sorted through them and pulled out a white stick. The  
  
papers were thrown where the box was. Claire held up the stick.  
  
"Hmmm," She said, a mischevious grin creeping across her face. "Let  
  
me see, blue means what? I remember my cousin having one of these  
  
before. It turned blue and about 8 months later I had another  
  
cousin!" Jill buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Claire, please!" She begged, "I went to see the doctor, he tested  
  
me and the results should be back in a few days. I'm not saying  
  
anything to Chris until then. It might be a false alarm. I don't  
  
want to disappoint him." Claire was surprised to see a tear falling  
  
silently down her friend's cheek.  
  
"Jill?" Claire asked, "What's wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you, I  
  
didn't mean it."  
  
"No," Jill told her, "You didn't, just please don't tell anyone. I  
  
was going to throw it away before you both got back home."  
  
"Jill." Claire persisted. Jill looked at her and shook her head.  
  
"Jill, you know I won't tell anyone," Claire told her. Jill nodded  
  
her head in understanding.  
  
"Then why are you so afraid?" Jill reached down and picked up the  
  
papers.  
  
"I wasn't bothered about you seeing the pregnancy test," She told  
  
her, looking through the papers. "I was going to tell you tomorrow  
  
anyway, after the doctors results came through." Claire looked at  
  
her curiously.  
  
"Then why did you try to hide the box?" Jill held out a pice of  
  
paper.  
  
"Read it," She told Claire.  
  
"Dear Jill," Claire read. "I know you will probably rip this up  
  
before reading it, but please give me a chance. I heard about you  
  
and Chris and I'm really pleased. I also realised what day it was,  
  
July 24th, the day everything went wrong. I also thought that  
  
because of this, we could make a new start. Life is kind of boring  
  
without your best friend. So, Jill, what do you say? I'm coming into  
  
town in a few days (I've got a new apartment and job over here!), so  
  
maybe we could meet up? My cell phone number is on the top of the  
  
page, so call me sometime. If you don't want to speak to me, I'll  
  
understand. Hell, I wouldn't want to speak to me if I'd done what  
  
I've done to you. If that makes any sense. I've spoken to Carlos,  
  
and he was a wreck, but that was about a year ago. Anyway, it's no  
  
more than he deserved. It was him that came onto me. I guess I was  
  
just lonely and needed someone. Please reply. Lots of love,  
  
Rebecca." Jill continued to stare at the floor.  
  
"That's great!" Claire exclaimed. Jill shook her head.  
  
"Uh-uh," She said, "You have no idea what she was like when I last  
  
saw her. She couldn't wait to get rid of me."  
  
"Yeah, well," Claire said, "Maybe she's genuinely sorry." Jill just  
  
shrugged.  
  
"So, you gonna phone her?" Claire asked.  
  
"Maybe," Jill replied. Claire looked at Jill as if just realising  
  
something.  
  
"By the way, Jill," She asked, "Why did you keep the stick? It's a  
  
bit gross, keeping that in a box, isn't it?" Jill laughed.  
  
"Because you would never believed me unless I showed it to you,"  
  
Jill replied, "I mean, you didn't believe that I was marrying your  
  
brother until I started to try on wedding dresses. And you didn't  
  
believe that I was still alive until I gave you a nose bleed."  
  
Claire gave her sister-to-be a Look.  
  
"You still in here?" Came a voice from the doorway. They both looked  
  
and saw Chris standing in the doorway, holding a t-shirt. He wasn't  
  
wearing a shirt. Jill smiled at him. Claire just pushed her hand  
  
against his chest.  
  
"Yuck! Put something on, Jill feels sick enough already," She said.  
  
Chris whacked his sister over the head with his t-shirt and pulled  
  
it over his head.  
  
"You alright now?" He asked Jill, walking over to her.  
  
"I am now you're here," She replied, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
She was replied by another 'Yuck!' from Claire, before she walked  
  
out muttering something about mental health. Chris laughed and  
  
looked down at Jill. He kissed her softly on the lips.  
  
"You know," He said, "I am the luckiest man in the world. Nothing  
  
could ever tear us apart."  
  
"Not a thing," Jill replied. Chris couldn't help but notice a slight  
  
tone of uncertianty in her voice.  
  
A/N- Well, there was chapter 2. Please tell me what you think, I  
  
love reading reviews so much! And my computer has finally sorted  
  
itself out, and I can post reviews. Roman Holiday, you have no idea  
  
how long it took me to post my review for your story! Anyway, I'm  
  
going to go and think up some ideas for the next chapter. And look  
  
out for some Carlos very soon. *Wink* 


	4. Double Trouble

Nothing's gonna change the things that you said  
  
Nothing's gonna make this right again  
  
Please don't turn your back  
  
I can't believe it's hard  
  
Just to talk to you  
  
But you don't understand  
  
*Perfect - Simple Plan*  
  
Jill opened her eyes. It was early morning and the sunlight was  
  
streaming in through a slit in the curtains. It seemed like  
  
something from a movie, a perfect morning. She half expected birds  
  
to start singing, but all she could hear was a neighbour's lawn  
  
mower and voices from downstairs. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.  
  
The room was empty. 'Chris must already be up,' she thought. She  
  
climed out of bed and got dressed. As she made her way downstairs,  
  
she almost tripped over the kitten. She bent down and picked her up.  
  
"What have I told you about trying to climb up the stairs?" She  
  
asked it. She carried her into the kitchen and put down some cat  
  
food.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Asked a female voice.  
  
"Better. I don't know why they all it morning sickness, when it  
  
comes all through the day, but never in the morning," Jill said,  
  
turning the kettle on.  
  
"What?" The voice asked, "You mean, you're..."  
  
"Yeah, I told you last-" Jill turned around and stopped. "Rebecca?"  
  
Rebecca smiled.  
  
"Hi!" She said, wrapping her arms around Jill. Jill pushed her away.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked her. Rebecca looked  
  
surprised.  
  
"Didn't you get the letter?" She asked, "Because I said-"  
  
"I know what you said," Jill spat, "But how did you have the guts to  
  
come back after what you did to me?" Rebecca crossed her arms.  
  
"What do you mean? 'After what I did to you?' Did you read th ewhole  
  
letter?" Jill opened her mouth to reply, but closed it when Claire  
  
came in.  
  
"Jill," She said, "Phone call." Jill continued to look at Rebecca.  
  
Claire waved the phone infront of her face. Jill grabbed it and  
  
walked out. Claire walked over to the kettle and started to make a  
  
coffee.  
  
"So?" She said, "What did miss constant-PMS say?" Rebecca sighed.  
  
"Well, she told me in no uncertain terms that I should fuck off."  
  
"Really?" Claire raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Well, she said as much." Rebecca pulled herself onto the bench. Not  
  
one of them said a word. Claire picked up the coffee and was about  
  
to walk through the door when Jill came in.  
  
"I'm going out for a bit, okay?" She said, before walking out.  
  
"But I made you a coffee!" Claire yelled. She was replied by a door  
  
slamming. Claire sighed and tipped the coffee down the sink. Rebecca  
  
jumped down and walked over to Claire.  
  
"Claire?" She looked up. "You got a shower?" Claire nodded.  
  
"Upstaris, first door on the right." Rebecca left and Claire was  
  
left on her own. 'Did I do right?' She asked herself. She made her  
  
way into the living room and sat down on the couch, burying her face  
  
in her hands. 'Should I have done it? What if she hates me? Should I  
  
have told him where we live?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jill walked out of the doctor's office with a smile. The results  
  
were positive. She walked along the street with a brand new smile on  
  
her face, and what seemed like a newly aquired glow. She came to a  
  
park and entered it. After a while she came to a bench and sat down.  
  
She pulled out her cell phone and dialled a number.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Chris? It's me." She said with a grin. "Are you working tonight?"  
  
"You know I'm not, it's Friday."  
  
"Oh good, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight? You  
  
know, just us."  
  
"Well, Leon said he was thinking about taking Claire and Sherry out  
  
tonight, so we'll have the place to ourselves. Maybe I could pick a  
  
film up on my way home?"  
  
"Yeah, that sounds great."  
  
"You ok? You sound funny."  
  
"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired. Listen, you didn't see Claire this  
  
morning did you?"  
  
"No, I woke up before her. Why?"  
  
"Oh, no reason. Look I need to tell you something tonight. It's  
  
really important, so don't go offering to do any overtime, okay?"  
  
Chris laughed. "I won't. See you then"  
  
"Bye." So that was it, she would tell Chris tonight, they would get  
  
married next week and live happily ever after. Hopefully. Jill  
  
looked up. There was a woman sitting on a picnic blanket on the  
  
grass on the other side of the path while her kids played around  
  
her. The boy, who only looked about three started to pick up clumps  
  
of grass and throw them at his sister, who turned around to come  
  
after him, but promptly fell on her backside. Jill laughed. 'Soon  
  
that will be me,' She thought. She looked at her watch and stood up.  
  
The mother was now yelling at her son for getting his trousers  
  
dirty. Jill turned to walk away when a voice came from behind her.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" She froze. That voice was all too familiar. The  
  
last time she had heard it was a year ago, when... She turned  
  
around. The man smiled at her.  
  
"Hey Jilly," He said. "I'm back."  
  
A/N- Like it would take Einstein to work out who the man is! R&R  
  
anyway. I'm sorry that my chapters are so short, but ideas seem so  
  
long in your head, but on paper (or a computer screen) they somehow  
  
become so short. I've just had a great idea for a finale, so I'm  
  
going to go and write it down before I forget it. And once again,  
  
Thank You to everyone who has reviewed. And I know that some of the  
  
lyrics don't match the chapters, but I like them anyway. :) 


	5. Friend or Foe?

I have a story, a bitter anthem for everyone to hear,  
  
About this kid who just don't like me and that's a solid fact.  
  
They say he's hunting me and as you see I'm all swelled up with fear  
  
Cuz I can't get him off my back  
  
*If U C Jordan - Something Corporate*  
  
"Carlos?" Jill stammered, "But why?" Carlos smiled.  
  
"I thought you were smarter than that, Jill." He said. "I still love  
  
you." Jill's head started to spin.  
  
"Carlos, you can't do this to me," She said, "Not now. I'm getting  
  
married on Friday!" Carlos laughed.  
  
"You really think I went through all the trouble of finding you just  
  
to ruin your wedding?" He asked. "I said I still loved you, but I'll  
  
be able to get over it. Jill, I'd rather be your friend than not  
  
know you at all." Jills head stopped spinning and she looked at  
  
Carlos in a new way.  
  
"What? You honestly..." Carlos nodded.  
  
"Do you really think I'm that bad?" Jill laughed and walked closer  
  
to him.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I guess I'm being a bit harsh on everyone. It's  
  
probably my hormones. I was mean to Rebecca this morning too." She  
  
told him. Carlos placed his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It should be me that's apologising," He said, "I shouldn't have  
  
cheated on you." Jill said nothing and looked over to where the  
  
woman with the children was. She was gone now and the park was  
  
starting to become empty. She suddenly felt uneasy with Carlos  
  
present. Especially when they were almost alone.  
  
"Can we go now?" She asked, "Only Claire is expecting me back."  
  
Carlos nodded and started to walk out of the park, closely followed  
  
by Jill. If she could see his face, she would have ran, because the  
  
grin he now wore was not he kind anyone would like to see,  
  
especially from a 'friend'.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chris couldn't keep his eyes off Rebecca. Not after what Jill had  
  
told him. Why had she turned up now? And why was she acting all  
  
goody-goody? He could practically see the halo. He knew her  
  
boyfriend. They had been friends throughout the fall of Umbrella,  
  
and had hung out a few times since. His name was Billy Coen, and he  
  
had been accused and recently cleared of murder. He seemed quite  
  
happy with Rebecca and this had convinced Chris to trust her. For  
  
now.  
  
"So," Billy said, sitting down beside Chris. "How you been keeping?"  
  
"Good," Chris said, tearing his eyes away from Rebecca and looking  
  
at Billy. "And you? You doing ok with Becca?" Billy nodded and  
  
grinned.  
  
"Yeah. I heard about you and Jill. How did you get so lucky?"  
  
"I'm still trying to work that out myself!" Chris said, "Oh, I'm  
  
suppose to be meeting her. I gotta go." Chris stood up and went to  
  
get his coat when Billy came up behind him.  
  
"You know, Chris, I've just had an idea," He said. "Why don't we go  
  
on a double date? You know, maybe we can get Jill and Becca to patch  
  
things up."  
  
"Sure, whatever," Chris replied. He wasn't really paying attention,  
  
he was too busy watching Claire and Rebecca laughing at something on  
  
the T.V.  
  
"Chris!" He turned around and saw Jill standing there. But his  
  
attention was drawn to the person stood behind her. It seemed as if  
  
everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing. Claire and  
  
Rebecca were leaning over the back of the sofa, Leon had stopped  
  
outside the kitchen door, almost dropping his coffee and Billy was  
  
just waiting for someone to explain everything to him.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Chris asked Carlos.  
  
"Erm...Not much," Carlos replied. Jill sighed and wakled up to Chris.  
  
"Look, he's not here for any reason, ok? He just wants us all to be  
  
friends again. I've put the past behind me, and I'm moving on,  
  
please do the same." Chris looked at Jill, then Carlos.  
  
"I'm doing this for Jill, not you!" He said, with a graet effort.  
  
Carlos smiled.  
  
"Of course," Carlos smiled. There was an uneasy silence, which was  
  
only broken by a "Dun-Dun-Duh!" from Claire. Everyone turned to look  
  
at her.  
  
"What?" She said innocently before turning round to watch the T.V.  
  
again.  
  
"Erm...Guys," Billy said, "Maybe we should get going. Jill, is it  
  
alright if me and Becca come with you and Chris?" Jill nodded and  
  
grabbed Chris' hand.  
  
"You ready?" She asked him, looking up into his eyes. Suddenly he  
  
warmed up and forgot all about Carlos. He smiled.  
  
"Yeah." Rebecca stood up and walked over to them.  
  
"So," She said, "Who's driving?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- I'm sorry this story is so slow starting, but it starts getting  
  
better from the next chapter, I promise! So, why is Carlos acting  
  
all nice, and why was he grinning? Was he telling the truth? And  
  
what is with Rebecca? The appearance of Billy is dedicated to Spider-  
  
Bear. I'm sorry, he was supposed to appear in Stop Living The Lie.  
  
And if I make a mistake with Billy, will somebody please tell me,  
  
because I haven't played RE0. And if I don't get another update  
  
before christmas (which I probably won't) Merry Christmas everyone! 


	6. What? Jill's cheating on Chris?

Oh my love please don't cry I'll wash my bloody hands  
  
And we'll start a new life  
  
I don't know much at all, I don't know wrong from right  
  
All I know is that I love you tonight  
  
*Good Charlotte - My Bloody Valentine*  
  
Jill, Chris, Rebecca and Billy arrived at the restaurant at about  
  
eight o'clock. It was a posh-looking restaurant, and the four of  
  
them started to panic about not dressing more formally. The calmed  
  
down upon entering, however, as they saw other people just wearing  
  
jeans and t-shirts. The Italian waiter led them to their table and  
  
handed them menus.  
  
"Wow," Rebecca said. "This is so cool. And the waiters are so-" She  
  
stopped when she saw Billy's face.  
  
"Over-payed." She finished with a smile. Billy rolled his eyes.  
  
"Oh, do you guys want a drink?" He asked. Jill's eyes scanned the  
  
menu.  
  
"I'll have a Bacardi," She said. Rebecca coughed.  
  
"You'll have a coke," She said in a matter-of-fact way. "And so will  
  
I." Jill sighed and forced a smile.  
  
"I was only joking," She said through gritted teeth. Rebecca replied  
  
with "Whatever". Billy stood up and turned to Chris.  
  
"You gonna help me with the drinks?" He asked.  
  
"No, I think I'll-Ok, I'm coming." Chris swore under his breath.  
  
Sometimes Billy could give really scary looks. The boys left and  
  
Jill and Rebecca were left glaring at each other.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, I finally get to meet you!" Claire squealed, wrapping her arms  
  
around Carlos.  
  
"Ignore her, She's got an excessive personality," Leon said.  
  
"I'm just being friendly," Claire defended. She made her way over to  
  
the sofa and sat down. Carlos sat down beside her. He had an idea.  
  
"So," He said, "Jill told me she was getting married." Claire's face  
  
lit up. You would think that it was *her* getting married.  
  
"Oh yeah, you gotta see the dress she's got, and-" Leon held his  
  
hand up and Claire stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
"I'm sure Carlos doesn't want to be bored by every little detail of  
  
this dress, he'll see it on Friday," Leon told her. Claire just  
  
shrugged. Carlos couldn't hold back his smile any longer.  
  
"So, who's the lucky guy?" Claire and Leon just stared at him  
  
blankly.  
  
"Erm...It's my brother," Claire said, trying not to laugh. Carlos  
  
put on his best confused look.  
  
"Well, what about the guy with the blonde hair?" He asked. Claire's  
  
new expression was a mixture of anger and confusion.  
  
"W-what guy with blonde hair?" She stammered.  
  
"Well, when I saw her at the park, she was with this blonde-haired  
  
guy."  
  
"Oh," Claire said, her expression returning to normal, "He's  
  
probably just a friend." She said it more to convince herself than  
  
Carlos.  
  
"What? You mean you guys kiss *friends* like that?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Look, Jill," Rebecca said, "I told you how sorry I am. If I could  
  
turn back time, I would." Jill looked up.  
  
"Are you finished yet?" She asked, "Because I don't wanna spend the  
  
whole night talking about it. So are you gonna tell me about Billy  
  
or what?" Rebecca looked at her and smiled. She was surprised to see  
  
that Jill smiled back.  
  
"Well," Rebecca said, "What do you wanna hear?" Jill's smile grew  
  
wider.  
  
"How about everything?" Rebecca giggled.  
  
"Ok then, erm-" She was interrupted by someone placing a Coke  
  
infront of her. She looked up.  
  
"Oh, hi!" She said to Billy. Chris sat down beside Jill.  
  
"You know, this isn't like you," He said. "You never order Coke in a  
  
restaurant."  
  
"Yeah, well-" Jill started. She felt a wave of nausea rising and  
  
clamped her hand over her mouth. She jumped up out of her seat and  
  
ran towards the bathroom.  
  
"What's up with her?" Billy asked. Chris shrugged and Rebecca looked  
  
away and had a private giggle. All of a sudden there was a shadow  
  
over their table. They looked up.  
  
"You ready to order?" The waiter asked.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Now look here Mr. Oliveira!" Claire yelled, rage coming before  
  
common sense. "I don't know what the fuck you're trying to do here,  
  
but it won't work!" Carlos looked at her, confused.  
  
"Claire, what are you-"  
  
"Get out!" She yelled. Carlos didn't argue. He just picked up his  
  
coat and walked out, with Claire slamming the door behind him. He  
  
looked back at the house with a smile. Reaching into his jacket  
  
pocket he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number. He barely  
  
let the person on the other end answer before saying "Now".  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Who the hell does he think he is?" Claire said, "He's trying to  
  
ruin their marriage. I knew he was an asshole the day Jill told me  
  
about him."  
  
"But-" Leon started.  
  
"He can't do this," She continued, "Not now, nothing is goin to  
  
spoil this wedding, nothing." Leon faked a smile and started to  
  
slowly stand up. He edged his way towards the bathroom door when the  
  
phone rang. 'Saved!' He thought and reached for it, Claire still  
  
rambling on in the background.  
  
"You touch that phone Mr. and you'll wish you'd never been born!"  
  
Leon jumped at the fury in Claire's voice. He tried to concentrate  
  
on the message that was now playing on the answerphone.  
  
"Hey, this is Claire, sorry, but me Chris and Jill are out, so leave  
  
a message."  
  
"Hey Jill, it's me." Claire stopped talking and stared at the  
  
answerphone. She didn't recognise that voice.  
  
"I had a really great time today. It would have been better if your  
  
friend hadn't came. You up for doing it again? Call me, ok? Love  
  
you." Claire fell to her knees. 'No!' She thought. 'He was right.'  
  
Leon knelt down beside her and saw a tear silently falling down her  
  
cheek. More followed. It was the first time he had seen Claire  
  
Redfield cry, and he had seen her through the worst times of her  
  
life. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.  
  
"Claire, It was probably a wrong number," He told her, though not in  
  
a reassuring voice, as he had planned. Claire ignored him and pushed  
  
him away. She jumped to her feet and sprinted towards the front  
  
door. She opened it and looked around, hoping to see Carlos. She  
  
scanned the street and saw him walking down the street.  
  
"Carlos!" She yelled, starting to run after him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jill flushed the toilet and stood up, tucking her hair behind her  
  
ears. At least she only had six months left. The doctor had told her  
  
that she was three months gone already. She wasn't that surprised  
  
that she had only just started to develop signs as her mother didn't  
  
know that she was pregnant until she gave birth.  
  
"You ok?" Jill turned around and saw Rebecca stood behind her.  
  
"Yeah," She replied, "I'm fine. I wish my stomach would pick more  
  
convenient times." She didn't wait to hear Rebecca's reply and  
  
walked out of the women's room. Rebecca stood at the doorway and  
  
watched her carefully until she reached the table and sat down. She  
  
then rumaged in her handbag for her phone. Smiling, she dialled  
  
Carlos' number.  
  
"It's done." He said. Rebecca's smile broadened.  
  
"Great!"  
  
"She kicked me out, but I think Brett's message should convince her."  
  
"Way to go! You are so amazing. There's no way this wedding will  
  
take place!"  
  
"So, you doing anything tonight?"  
  
"Hey! I'm with Billy now...But if this wedding is cancelled, maybe  
  
I'll think about it."  
  
"If this wedding gets cancelled, I'll be with Jill. Oh shit! Claires  
  
coming, I gotta go." Rebecca dropped her phone back in her back and  
  
laughed.  
  
"That bitch won't know what's hit her!" She said to herself and  
  
started to walk back over to their table.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- I guess I got this done quicker than I thought...Again, sorry  
  
it's a bit short. And another Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year  
  
aswell (I'll be kind). 


	7. Leon saves the day Or does he?

I'm frightened by what I see  
  
But somehow I know  
  
That there's much more to come  
  
Immobilized by my fear  
  
And soon to be  
  
Blinded by tears  
  
I can stop the pain  
  
If I will it all away  
  
*Whisper - Evanescence*  
  
Leon was still crouched on the floor for a while after Claire ran  
  
out. He didn't believe that Jill was cheating on Chris. Though the  
  
evidence was right in front of him, he refused to believe it. He  
  
slowly stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. Unfortunately  
  
Claire believed whatever she saw, without thinking it through. Leon  
  
walked over to the answer machine and looked down at it, his finger  
  
hovering over the delete button. He shook his head and pressed  
  
another button beside it.  
  
"Last message received on Saturday 18th January at 8:15pm." Leon  
  
pressed the button again, and the number of the caller appeared on  
  
the small screen. He grabbed the pen that Claire always had beside  
  
the phone and looked around for some paper. He swore when he found  
  
nothing. Only Claire would leave a pen by the phone, but no paper.  
  
He heard the front door start to open and quickly scribbled the  
  
number down on his hand. He looked behind him and saw Claire coming  
  
through the door. He threw the pen down beside the phone and pressed  
  
the delete button.  
  
"Well," Claire said, "I apologised and he seemed alright about it."  
  
Leon rolled his eyes.  
  
"Of course he would, it's what he-"  
  
"What? You think this is all his doing?" Leon just looked at her.  
  
"I don't believe this!" She shouted, "You heard the message, didn't  
  
you?"  
  
"Claire, if he loves Jill, he will do anything he can to get her  
  
back!" He had never raised his voice at Claire before. She just  
  
looked at him with disbelief.  
  
"And how is he going to do that by making it seem that Jill is  
  
cheating on Chris? He'll hurt her, and if he still loved her, he  
  
wouldn't want to do that."  
  
"He would," said Leon, falling back onto the sofa, "Chris would  
  
break up with her and she'd be hurt, then he would come along with a  
  
shoulder to cry on. It works, I should know, I've done it before."  
  
"What about the phone call?"  
  
"He probably got someone else to call up." Leon was starting to get  
  
sick of this already.  
  
"I don't believe you." Leon stood up. He's had enough.  
  
"Claire, you're always like this, you never read between the lines.  
  
There is probably more evidence against Carlos than for. He wants  
  
Jill back, he hates Chris' guts, he's got nothing to lose anymore,  
  
and last, but by no means least, Jill loves Chris more than  
  
anything, you've seen the way she is around him. I know her and she  
  
wouldn't do anything like this." He didn't wait around long enough  
  
to hear Claire's reply and headed over to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" She yelled after him.  
  
"Give me fifteen minutes, ok?" He said. "And I'll prove to you that  
  
he's lying." Claire sighed.  
  
"If you're not back by the time they are I'm locking the door," She  
  
said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I can't believe you did that!" Billy said as they walked over to  
  
the car. "All over the waiter!" Jill tried to hide her face. About  
  
ten minutes earlier the Italian waiter had brought them their bill.  
  
When Jill had opened her mouth to thank him it wasn't words that  
  
came out. The only reason they had avoided a meeting with the  
  
manager was because Chris had gave him a tip that was twice the  
  
price of the food.  
  
"Maybe you should see a doctor?" Chris suggested. Jill shook her  
  
head. She was now too afraid to open her mouth. She climbed into the  
  
car beside Rebecca, who was trying her best to avoid looking Jill in  
  
the eye.  
  
"Drive. Fast." Jill told Billy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Leon was starting to panic. He'd never get back before the others.  
  
He wasn't worried about Claire locking him out, he had his own  
  
place, but he was more worried about what she would say to Jill.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity he pulled up outside Chris' house  
  
and was glad to see that Billy's car wasn't there. He reached into  
  
his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. When he had asked for it  
  
the guy had looked at him like he was mad, but he managed to  
  
persuade him. He knew that it was stupid, but it was the only thing  
  
he could think of. He felt around on the floor in the back of his  
  
car and found a pen and a sweet that had started to grow mould.  
  
Disgusted, he threw the sweet out of the window and wiped the pen on  
  
his jeans before tearing a small piece off the bottom of the paper.  
  
He looked at the palm of his left hand where the remains of the  
  
phone number were. He quickly scribbled it down on the paper and  
  
shoved it into his pocket before heading towards the house.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Billy!" Jill screamed.  
  
"Look, I can't help the traffic," He told her.  
  
"And also, not far from the Police Department there has been an RTA.  
  
Travellers are advised to take an alternative route." Billy swore at  
  
the radio.  
  
"Now you tell me! Hey, don't you even think about being sick in this  
  
car!" Jill closed her eyes and started to take deep breaths.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Here," Leon said, handing Claire the paper.  
  
"What the-" She started.  
  
"Just read it."  
  
"Jillian Valentine, appointment time 3:15pm, collecting results from  
  
pregnancy test." She read. "Leon, what the hell is this?"  
  
"It's details of her appointment that I got the doctor to print  
  
off," He told her. "Keep reading." She sighed and squinted at the  
  
barely-legible handwriting underneath the printed section.  
  
"Miss Valentine left the surgery at about 3:35pm. B.R. Whitely." She  
  
continued. "Who's B.R. Whitely?"  
  
"Jill's doctor. But don't you see what this means?" Claire thought  
  
for a minute and briefly looked down at the letter again.  
  
"No." Leon cried out in frustration before taking the paper from  
  
Claire.  
  
"Jill's appointment was at 3:15pm, right? And she left here at about  
  
three o'clock, I know because I was watching T.V. and The Simpsons  
  
was starting when she left. It takes about ten minutes to get to the  
  
surgery, right, and Jill always likes to get to places early, so she  
  
would have arrived at the surgery at about ten past three, giving  
  
her no time to meet someone there. You follow me?" Claire shook her  
  
head and Leon groaned again.  
  
"The appointment ended at 3:35pm. It takes quarter of an hour to get  
  
back here from the park and she got back at about ten past four,  
  
which means that she left the park at five to four. The park is five  
  
minutes away from the doctor's surgery, which leaves her only twenty  
  
minutes to phone Chris and meet Carlos. She was talking to Chris for  
  
about ten minutes, remember, because you were complaining about him  
  
never letting you use his phone. That's what, ten minutes for her  
  
to 'be with' this guy *and* meet Carlos? Claire, it's not possible."  
  
Claire stared at her boyfriend blankly. She hadn't understood a word  
  
he had said.  
  
"And you worked this all out by yourself? In about half an hour?"  
  
She asked, trying to make it sound like she had understood.  
  
"Claire, I'm a cop. I work these things out every day, you know,  
  
alibi's and eye witness reports? But that doesn't matter. My point  
  
is that unless Jill has the power to stop time, It's impossible for  
  
her to have been with this guy." Leon sat down on the sofa, worn out  
  
and hoping that Claire would believe him. She seemed lost in thought  
  
and, after a few minutes, she finally turned to Leon.  
  
"What if this guy had met her at the surgery and had been with her  
  
when she phoned Chris and everything?" Claire wasn't even convincing  
  
herself. As much as she wanted this to all be some kind of mistake,  
  
she hated being proved wrong.  
  
"Actually, she was alone." Claire looked up and saw Sherry sitting  
  
on the stairs.  
  
"I was at the park with some friends and I saw Jill," She said. "She  
  
spent ages staring at this woman with her kids. I was going to go  
  
over and say hello, but then Carlos came." Leon stood up and wrapped  
  
his arms around Claire.  
  
"See. You were worrying over nothing." Claire jumped when the front  
  
door opened. She was pleased to see that everyone was finally home.  
  
"You know," Jill said, "I'm feeling much better now. You ok?"  
  
"What? Oh, yeah. There was just a little misunderstanding, but it's  
  
sorted now." Claire told her, smiling up at Leon. This time it was  
  
Rebecca's turn to feel sick. This can't be happening! She thought.  
  
He promised me that it would all be sorted by the time we got back.  
  
Once again, she reached for her phone and sent a text message to  
  
Carlos explaining everything. A few minutes later, he replied.  
  
'Don't worry. I've got another plan.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- I know, this chapter doesn't make any sense to me either. It's  
  
almost half way through now. I'm sorry if there isn't more frequent  
  
updates, but I've done what I swore I'd never do, and that's have  
  
two fics going at a time. And I'm thinking of continuing my Metal  
  
Gear one and I'm half way through a Silent Hill one which I might  
  
post. So, my New Year's Resolution is to finish one fic before I  
  
even think about another one. And I'll try and get this one done  
  
first, I promise. And peanutbuttersunshine, no-one is forcing you to read this story. 


	8. Introducing Brett

It's not like you didn't know that  
  
I said I love you and I swear I still do  
  
And it must have been so bad  
  
Cause living with me must have damn near killed you  
  
And this is how, you remind me  
  
Of what I really am  
  
This is how, you remind me  
  
Of what I really am  
  
*Nickelback - How You Remind Me*  
  
It was almost noon when Jill woke up, still oblivious to the fact  
  
that just the day before her marriage was almost ruined by a so-  
  
called 'friend'. She was surprised to see Chris asleep beside her,  
  
he was always up earlier than her. She smiled and sat up, bracing  
  
herself for the wave of nausea that usually hit her when she did  
  
this. She was, again, surprised that this didn't happen  
  
today. 'Thank God,' she thought, 'Maybe this means it's over?' For  
  
the past few weeks, since she had started getting morning sickness,  
  
she was scared of walking halfway up the aisle then having to run  
  
back out again.  
  
"Hey," Said a drowsy voice beside her. "What time is it?"  
  
"Almost twelve," She replied yawning. Chris groaned and rolled back  
  
over. Jill laughed and tried to pull the covers down.  
  
"You can't stay in bed all day!"  
  
"Says who? I'm not working today, it's Sunday." Jill sighed and gave  
  
him the covers back before jumping out of bed and heading off to the  
  
bathroom. She turned the shower on and suddenly had an idea. She  
  
remembered what Claire used to do to get Chris out of bed. Leaving  
  
the shower running, she went down to the kitchen and filled a glass  
  
with cold water, dropping in a few ice cubes aswell after deciding  
  
that she was in a cruel mood today. She quietly  
  
made her way back upstairs into the bedroom where Chris was now  
  
sleeping. She held her breath as she approached him and tipped the  
  
glass of water over his head.  
  
"WHAT THE-?" Chris yelled, sitting upright. He looked around and saw  
  
Jill standing next to the bed holding an empty glass.  
  
"Right!" He yelled, jumping out of the bed. Jill dropped the glass  
  
and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.  
  
"Ha!" She said, "You're up now!"  
  
"Jillian Valentine, you will pay!" He told the locked door.  
  
"Ok, just let me take a shower first," She shouted back, laughing.  
  
This time, it was Chris' turn for the good idea as he walked  
  
downstairs and turned the tap on.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rebecca pulled the covers over her head when she heard Jill scream  
  
as the water suddenly got a hell of a lot colder. When will this be  
  
over? She asked herself. I can't stand them together, it just makes  
  
me sick. She's always got what I wanted, first Leon, then Carlos,  
  
now Chris.  
  
But this is where it's going to end. No more messing around. There's  
  
no way they'll be together after tonight. She smiled as she tried  
  
to reassure herself that everything was going to go her way. She was  
  
just starting to drift off to sleep when there was a bang and  
  
giggling from the room next to her. Chris and Jill's room. She  
  
pulled the covers further over her head and clasped a pillow over  
  
her ears, hoping that Carlos' new plan would work.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, you clear about it now?" Carlos asked Brett. Brett ran his  
  
fingers through his long blonde hair.  
  
"I think so," He replied. "But are you sure you actually want to do  
  
this? I mean, if she finds out that it's you." Carlos held up his  
  
hand.  
  
"She won't, Brett. She thinks I've changed, she thinks I'm ready to  
  
forgive and forget. She's so naïve," He explained. Brett smiled.  
  
"Then I think we have a deal," He said, holding out his hand, which  
  
Carlos shook.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Leon was the last to rise. When he walked into the kitchen he  
  
noticed a note stuck on the fridge door. "Rebecca wasn't feeling  
  
well, so I took her shopping to cheer her up. Be back later, love  
  
Claire." Leon groaned. He was going to try and talk to Claire about  
  
what Carlos had tried to do.  
  
"So, you're the last up, as usual."  
  
"And what the hell have you and Chris been doing for the past hour?"  
  
He asked Jill, who had just entered the kitchen. She answered by  
  
turning a deep shade of pink. Leon just laughed.  
  
"Nothing! Anyway, where is Claire and Becca?" She said, trying to  
  
change the subject. Leon pointed to the note on the fridge and Jill  
  
squinted at it. She had always said that Claire should have been a  
  
doctor since even she couldn't read her own writing. Leon just kept  
  
staring at Jill. She has no idea, he thought. Her marriage was  
  
almost ruined and she still thinks of him as a friend. All of a  
  
sudden he forgot why he had came into the kitchen in the first place.  
  
"Erm...Jill."  
  
"Mm?" She didn't even look up from the drink she was pouring.  
  
"There's something I need to tell you."  
  
"Shoot." It was obvious that she wasn't even paying attention as she  
  
walked into the living room. Leon rushed after her.  
  
"Look, this is really important!" He tried. She looked up. At least  
  
he had half of her attention now.  
  
"Last night-" He started.  
  
"Leon, this must be the earliest you've woken up in a long time."  
  
Leon groaned.  
  
"Chris, shut up! Leon's trying to tell me something important!" Jill  
  
yelled. Chris suddenly looked all offended, but Jill knew it was  
  
just an act.  
  
"Oh, sorry ma'am," He said, sitting down and avoiding the cushion  
  
that suddenly came flying his way.  
  
"So," Jill said, "What were you saying?" Leon looked over at Chris.  
  
He had more sense than to tell her infront of Chris. He'd seen what  
  
he did to that guy who tried chat up Claire.  
  
"Nothing, I'll tell you later." Leon told her, shaking his head.  
  
Jill looked at him, raising her eyebrows, and he sighed and jerked  
  
his head in Chris' direction. She nodded and stood up.  
  
"I'm going out for a while, call me if you need me," She said before  
  
grabbing her coat and heading outside. After she closed the door she  
  
leaned against it and took a deep breath. Whatever Leon had to say,  
  
she didn't want to hear it. 'What if he wants to say that he still  
  
loves me?' She thought.  
  
When he was still alive, Joseph Frost had introduced her to a  
  
friend, Leon Scott Kennedy. They became good friends and Leon  
  
started to fall in love with her. He even took a job as a policeman  
  
so that he could spend more time with her. But that was where it all  
  
went wrong. Raccoon city became infested with the undead, Jill went  
  
missing, and he met Claire. They met up again in mid-October 1998  
  
and had a brief fling. She was upset over 'losing' Chris, and Leon  
  
was there for her. That was the only thing that kept them close, as  
  
Leon no longer had feelings for Jill, and Jill was obviously in love  
  
with Chris. They split up after a few weeks and Leon had went  
  
looking for Claire, and Jill and Carlos got together shortly after.  
  
But he had used the 'L' word, and that was why Jill felt guilty for  
  
staying with him, because she knew that she could never love him  
  
back.  
  
She was scared that he wanted to tell her that he still loved her.  
  
Chris loved her, Carlos still loved her. She couldn't handle it if  
  
Leon loved her aswell. She jumped when her cell phone rang.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Hey, it's me."  
  
"Oh, Carlos." She didn't really want to speak to him right now.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink or food or  
  
something?"  
  
"Carlos, I'm with-"  
  
"I know. I mean, just as friends. We've got a lot to catch up on.  
  
You can tell me all about taking down Umbrella." When he said that  
  
last part, his voice changed. Unknown to Jill, he actually sided  
  
with Umbrella then. He didn't want to, but they paid him more money  
  
than he had ever seen in his life. And they threatened to kill him  
  
if he didn't join them.  
  
"Alright. I'm just coming out now and I've got some stuff to do, so  
  
how about half four?" She was glad that he had offered her an escape  
  
from Leon.  
  
"Sounds great. How about we meet at Starbucks?"  
  
"Carlos."  
  
"I was joking! How about Hagan Daaz?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Just don't make me drink coffee, I'm sick of it."  
  
"Ok then, half four."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carlos hung up and looked at Brett.  
  
"Hagan Daaz, half four." He told him.  
  
"The one in the mall?" Brett asked. Carlos rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yes, it's the only one for miles." He replied slowly, trying not to  
  
get mad. Brett was slowly but surely getting on his nerves.  
  
"And whatever you do, don't screw up. I don't want to have to go to  
  
Plan C."  
  
AN- Whew, finally finished. The chapter, not the story. Or I could  
  
leave you hanging? So, what is Carlos' plan? And what is Plan C?  
  
Will he have to go to it? And will Leon be in time to save Jill  
  
again? Now to think up a very crappy title for this chapter. 


	9. The day my world fell apart

You're just so predictable  
  
In every way  
  
I want you to know I know your game  
  
It's so unbelievable  
  
how you never change  
  
you won't get away  
  
with loving me  
  
you're just so predictable  
  
*Delta Goodrem - Predictable*  
  
Jill sighed and drank the last few drops of coke from the glass. It  
  
was the third glass she'd had now. He always used to stand her up  
  
when they were together and she hated it. She always felt like such  
  
a fool when she was sat there all alone, briefly glancing at her  
  
watch now and then.  
  
"You look lonely, you waiting for someone?" Jill looked up. A blonde-  
  
haired man stood next to her. He reminded her of a blonde-haired  
  
Justin Hawkins.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am, or rather, was." Jill replied,  
  
starting to stand up.  
  
"He wouldn't happen to be called Carlos Oliveira, would he?" The man  
  
asked. Jill froze and stared into his deep blue eyes.  
  
"How do you-" She started.  
  
"Brett," He told her, holding out his hand. "Brett Sanderson. I'm a  
  
friend of Carlos. He said to apologise to you, something came up and  
  
he had to go, so he sent me instead. He said he felt bad about  
  
standing you up in the past." Jill shook his hand. Something was  
  
wrong. Carlos was never that nice.  
  
"Jill Valentine," She said, sitting back down. "Listen, since you're  
  
late, I can't stay long. My fiancée is taking me out later and I  
  
need to get back to get changed." Actually, she was just going to  
  
laze around in front of the T.V. until she was alone with Chris long  
  
enough to tell him about their baby, but she had a bad feeling about  
  
Brett and didn't want to stay with him longer than she had to. It's  
  
funny, she thought, It's the same feeling I had when I was with  
  
Carlos in the park.  
  
"You still have time for one drink though?" Brett asked. 'But then  
  
again, nothing happened then.'  
  
"Sure," She said politely.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Here, carry this," Claire said, dumping yet another bag in her  
  
brother's arms. Chris groaned and gave Leon an 'I'll-kill-you-later'  
  
look. Leon had suggested that they should go to the mall and see if  
  
they could find the girls. Personally, Chris preferred boredom to  
  
this kind of torture.  
  
"Why can't you ever carry your own shopping?" He moaned.  
  
"Because that would be against the laws of shopping," Claire replied  
  
before running off into yet another shop.  
  
"Maybe we should drop the bags and run?" Leon suggested, as the Gap  
  
bag slid off his fingers. He groaned and bent down to pick it up  
  
when the other God-knows-how-many bags fell to the floor.  
  
"Oh fuck it!" He screamed, attracting the attention of some Japanese  
  
tourists and the sales assistant talking to them.  
  
"Problems?" Said a Spanish voice. Leon knew who it was without  
  
having to look up.  
  
"You could say that," He replied in the nicest voice he could  
  
manage. He didn't even looked at Carlos when he bent down to help him  
  
pick up the bags.  
  
"Well that shop was-" Claire stopped when she saw Carlos handing  
  
Leon the bags back. Leon looked as if he wanted to throw up.  
  
"Oh, hi!" She said to Carlos, trying her best not to sound angry.  
  
Leon shot her a warning look. He was about to ask Rebecca if she had  
  
bought anything, and how heavy it was when he saw her smile when she  
  
saw Carlos. No freakin' way! He thought. No. She, she wouldn't. She  
  
likes Jill, right.  
  
"I'm hungry," Rebecca complained. Carlos seemed to tense up a bit.  
  
"Well, there's a Haagan Daaz not that far away," He suggested.  
  
Chris, who was the only one who didn't have a clue what was going  
  
on, nodded.  
  
"Ok then," He said, "Haagan Daaz it is.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Jill lied as she stood up, thanking  
  
God that it was over.  
  
"You too." Brett seemed to be in a world of his own as he stood up  
  
and followed Jill out of the shop.  
  
"Hey, Jill!" He called, jogging over to her. 'What the hell does he  
  
want now?' She asked herself. He smiled at her. It was a weird,  
  
pervy sort of smile. Jill suddenly had the urge to run.  
  
"You know, he doesn't deserve you." Jill looked confused.  
  
"What do you-"  
  
"Chris, he doesn't deserve you." Jill opened her mouth to tell him  
  
to get lost when he grabbed her and smashed his mouth against hers.  
  
She tried to push him away, but he was just too strong. She pulled  
  
her arms away when she realised that it looked like she was holding  
  
him. Instead, she lifted her knee and brought it up right between  
  
his legs. He let go of her and staggered back.  
  
"What the hell do you-?" She stopped and felt fear's cold embrace.  
  
There, just outside Virgin Megastore, looking straight at her with a  
  
pained expression, was Chris.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He had seen it. All of them had. They saw her walking out of Haagan  
  
Daaz, they saw him follow her, saw him wrap his arms around her and  
  
kiss her. Chris and Claire saw her wrap her arms around him and kiss  
  
him back, Carlos and Rebecca saw nothing because they hid their  
  
faces, and Leon saw her try to push him away, Leon had seen her knee  
  
him in the mummy-daddy button, Leon was the only one who saw the  
  
truth. He even saw Carlos' face, and he would have punched it if  
  
Chris hadn't chosen that moment to violently push him aside and walk  
  
past.  
  
"Chris!" Yelled Carlos, chasing after his rival, making it seem like  
  
he cared. Rebecca was in tears, but they were tears of happiness and  
  
Claire tried to comfort her.  
  
"I always knew that bitch was no good for him," She said bitterly,  
  
before walking away, taking her bags from Leon. Leon just looked  
  
back over at Jill, who was staring at the space where Chris stood  
  
just a few seconds before. He walked over to her and she snapped out  
  
of her reverie.  
  
"Leon, I swear-" He ignored her and walked straight over to Brett.  
  
Since he couldn't punch Carlos, he had to punch someone. Brett  
  
didn't know what hit him. He stumbled back against the wall and  
  
tried to run, but Leon grabbed him by the collar.  
  
"What the fuck were you doing?" He yelled. Almost everyone around  
  
them was staring now. Brett struggled, but Leon's grip on him was  
  
too strong. He didn't look like it, but Leon was almost as strong as  
  
Chris.  
  
"Answer me!" Jill tok a step back, tears now streaming down her  
  
face. She had never seen Leon so mad before.  
  
"I-I didn't do anything," Brett stuttered. Leon adjusted his grip  
  
and Brett tried harder to push him away.  
  
"I-I only d-did what he told me to do, I swear."  
  
"Who?" Brett remained silent.  
  
"WHO?!?!" Leon yelled. He already knew what he was going to say.  
  
"C-Carlos. Carlos...Oliveira." Leon loosened his grip and Brett took  
  
the opportuntity to escape and ran off, pushing Leon aside. Leon  
  
could feel his eyes burning as he looked at the people who were  
  
watching them. As soon as they saw him looking, they looked away and  
  
carried on with whatever they were doing. He turned and looked at  
  
Jill, who fell to her knees. He knelt down and placed his arm around  
  
her.  
  
"W-why are you doing this, Leon?" She asked between sobs.  
  
"Ssh," He told her, using his sleeve to wipe away her tears. "Let's  
  
just get you home." He helped her up and she tightened her grip on  
  
his arm. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started to  
  
walk, swearing to himself that Carlos would pay.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- I know that was a bit short, but now that that bit is done, I  
  
can get onto the exciting stuff. So, will Chris forgive her? Or will  
  
Carlos get what he wants? Also, *spoiler* will Rebecca realise the  
  
error of her ways? I don't know how many chapters are left, but I  
  
prommise not to make you people suffer this longer than you have to.  
  
And if I keep posting on Daredevil (which was partly my friend's  
  
idea, so I give credit to her aswell) and not on here, yell at me or  
  
send me a threatening e-mail. I've already broke my New Year's  
  
resolution and it's not even quarter of the way through January yet! 


	10. Rookie Of The Year

The promise that he made  
  
Left broken on the floor  
  
The bruise left round your heart  
  
Left you begging for more  
  
Thank you for making me  
  
Worthless in your eyes  
  
In hope and desperation  
  
I'll find my only light  
  
In your white wedding dress  
  
*Funeral For A Friend - Rookie Of The Year*  
  
Jill removed her hands from the pockets of Leon's coat and handed him the keys to her house. Leon opened the door and looked back at her. She motioned for him to go in first, and started to turn around when he grabbed her arm.  
  
"Jill, it won't be that bad, I swear," Leon told her in a reassuring voice. She didn't believe him, but followed anyway. As soon as she stepped into the house she knew that she wasn't welcome. Claire shot her a look of pure hatred before marching over to them.  
  
"What the hell is she doing here?" She demanded, looking at Jill.  
  
"Claire, maybe if you just-" Leon started, but it was obvious that she wasn't paying attention.  
  
"I need to talk to Chris," Jill explained.  
  
"And what makes you think that he wants to talk to you?"  
  
"Because I do." Claire looked over at Chris, who was sat on the sofa, holding his head. He looked up at his sister.  
  
"Can you guys give us a few minutes?" He asked. Jill didn't like the way that he said 'a few minutes'. It told her that he needed to tell her something, and he didn't expect a reply. It told her that he had already decided whether he forgave her or not. Claire led Leon upstairs and Chris and Jill were finally alone.  
  
"Chris-" Jill began.  
  
"You know, when I said that I wanted to talk to you, it didn't mean that I wanted to listen to your pathetic excuses." Jill felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She was shocked by the ferocity in his voice.  
  
"But if you just let me explain!" She hurried before he could interrupt again.  
  
"What is there to explain?" He yelled, moving closer to her. "I saw you kiss that man, I-"  
  
"No! He kissed me!" Jill defended, moving away from Chris. For the first time in her life, she was actually scared that he was going to hurt her.  
  
"Yeah, then you wrapped your arms around him! You know, if Carlos hadn't suggested that we go to-"  
  
"You mean he was with you?" Jill asked, genuinely confused. "But he was supposed to go out with me! He said that something had come up and he sent Brett instead. And...and Brett said that Carlos had...had..." Jill had to hold the doorframe to stop herself from falling over. She had just realised it. It was Carlos. 'That was the only reason why he came back, to ruin our wedding.'  
  
"Carlos told him to kiss me. And Carlos must have led you guys there so you would think that I was having an affair..." She swallowed and closed her eyes. She could hold the tears back no longer.  
  
"I'm sorry," Chris said, looking at the floor. Jill looked up at him. She could see that he was on the verge of crying as well. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, but he pushed it away.  
  
"I'm sorry," He repeated. "Because for a second there, I almost believed you. But I guess it all figures out. Maybe Carlos didn't cheat on you. Maybe you cheated on him. Maybe you were lying to me the whole time. He knew that you were cheating on me, so he took us to Hagan Daaz so that we could see what a cheap slag you are!"  
  
Jill didn't move. It felt as though someone had shoved a white-hot knife through her heart and twisted it. What hurt her more than the fact that the man she loved more than anything had called her a slag, was the fact that he believed Carlos over her. He believed the man that she hated with a passion over her.  
  
"Chris, don't do this," She pleaded, "We're getting married on Friday!"  
  
"Were, Jill," Chris told her, calming down a bit. "We were getting married on Friday. Past tense."  
  
Jill wasn't prepared for the wave of hurt that hit her when he said those words.  
  
"It wasn't just today, was it?" He continued. "Claire told me about the message he left. About the park yesterday."  
  
"W-What message?" Jill's voice was barely audible. She was surprised that there was enough life left in her to speak. "I was barely at the park five minutes."  
  
"Jill, you were out for over an hour! If you weren't at the park, then where were you?" Jill closed her eyes.  
  
"I was at the doctors," She said in a quiet voice. "I'm, I'm pregnant...Chris." She into his eyes and saw a flicker of emotion that she couldn't identify.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chris swallowed. He didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he had control over his vocal cords any more. He regretted saying everything he'd said. He didn't believe Carlos, he knew that she wouldn't do this to him. He didn't mean to call her a slag, but the words just came out. All he wanted to do was hold her. Hold her and never let go, maybe then all the pain would ease away. And now she was pregnant. With his child. That gave him another reason not to leave her, but his brain wouldn't allow him to tell her.  
  
"Jill, I don't even know if it's mine," He said at last. He instantly regretted when he saw the hurt in her eyes.  
  
"Chris, how could you say that?" She asked. Her voice shot an arrow through his heart. It hurt him even more, knowing the pain that he was causing her. She blinked and wiped the tears from her eyes. 'That was always my job,' Chris thought.  
  
"Here," She said, pulling a ring off her finger and throwing it at his feet. "It's worthless to me now, just like you."  
  
With that she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Chris stopped fighting the tears and fell to his knees. He looked down at the ring Jill had thrown. It was her engagement ring. He picked it up and closed his fingers around it. When he stood back up he saw a pleased-looking Claire and a furious-looking Leon staring at him.  
  
"You know, I think she's better off without you. You're the worst thing that's ever happened to her!" Leon spat at Chris before walking out. Now it was just Chris and Claire.  
  
"You did right," Claire told her brother. Chris looked at her in disbelief.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" He yelled. "I've just lost the woman that I loved, I just threw her out on the streets, and you're telling me that I did right!? I...I need to lie down."  
  
He pushed past Claire and ran upstairs to the room he used to share with Jill. He locked the door behind him and looked at the bed. It was unmade, still messy from the morning. It was amazing how your life could completely flip upside down in just a few hours. He looked back down to the ring in his hand. 'Well done Redfield,' He told himself. 'You've really fucked it up this time.' He walked over to the bed and lay down on it, not bothering to take his shoes off.  
  
'What the hell did I do?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- Don't worry, I know it's a bit crap, but I assure you that I will think of a good way for Carlos to get his comeuppance. So far, I have a very crap idea, but I'll work on it. I just wrote this chapter when I was reminded of this huge argument my cousin had with his girlfriend ages ago. He said he didn't mean any of it, like Chris didn't. Sorry if there's too much Leon in, but he's my favourite character (apart from Billy now, thanks spider- bear, I downloaded a few clips of him in the game). Anyway, I'll shut up now. Until next time... And (Knock on wood) But I think I've sorted the formatting out, let's see how this chapter comes out. It takes ages, though. 


	11. Sleeping with the enemy

I can't take it  
  
What am I waiting for?  
  
My heart's still breaking  
  
I miss you even more  
  
And I can't fake it  
  
The way I could before  
  
I hate you but I love you  
  
I can't stop thinking of you  
  
It's true  
  
I'm stuck on you  
  
*Stacie Orrico - Stuck*  
  
Jill groaned as someone tried to wake her.  
  
"Chris, just let me sleep," She muttered, rolling over and pulling the covers tighter around her. She was just drifting back to sleep when someone violently shook her. She ignored it and rolled over again, only to be disturbed a few short seconds later by another shove.  
  
"Chris!" She said, half-opening her eyes. Everything was still blurry, but she could just make out a tattooed arm attempting wrench the covers from her grip.  
  
"Billy?" She was puzzled, but then she realised that she no longer wore her engagement ring. It all came flooding back to her, and suddenly staying in bed forever seemed like a good idea, so she slid further down the bed.  
  
"You gonna get up?" Billy's question was answered with a grunt from under the covers. "Rebecca has made you some toast. She never even makes toast for me!"  
  
"You have it then." Billy grabbed the covers and pulled them away from her. She didn't even move, she just lay there, the fingers of her right hand rubbing where her ring used to be. Billy sighed and sat down on the bed beside her.  
  
"Jill, if you need someone to talk to-"  
  
"He was always there for me. It was always him that listened to my problems." Jill continued to stare at the same spot on the burgundy carpet. Billy pushed her hair behind her ears, but it just fell back over her face.  
  
"Jill, you can't keep doing this to yourself," He told her. "There's plenty of other guys out th-"  
  
"I don't want 'any other guy'!" Jill yelled, sitting up. "I want Chris!" She sniffed and blinked back the tears that had decided to show. She stood up and headed over to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.  
  
"But he doesn't want me," She said softly as she slid down to the floor, where she stayed, hugging her knees.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I wish that there was something I could do for her," Billy told his girlfriend as he sat next to her on the sofa. "She's torn up. She'd never cheat on Chris!" Rebecca shrugged and started picking at the bowl of popcorn on her knees.  
  
"You never know with some people," She said, holding out the bowl. "You want some? It's what's left over from last night?"  
  
Billy shook his head. Last night, Rebecca had rented a movie and bought a huge bag of popcorn. She told Billy that she just wanted to watch a movie with him, but she was really celebrating the break-up of Chris and Jill. You can imagine her horror when Billy came in later with a distraught Jill, saying that she was going to be staying with them until she found a place of her own. She was surprised when she actually felt sorry for her, but had made up for her momentary guilty conscience by suggesting that they should watch Romeo and Juliet. Billy had just told her not to be so insensitive and they ended up watching Pleasantville since it was the only film either of them had that didn't involve lovers dying, divorcing, breaking up, fighting or murdering each other.  
  
"Oh, hi!" Rebecca said, smiling the sweetest fake smile she could manage as Jill staggered into the living room. She didn't even smile back.  
  
"You ok?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Ok?" Jill repeated. "Am I ok?" Rebecca saw the look on her face and backed off.  
  
"Ok, bad question," She said and, as if on cue the doorbell rang. 'Saved by the bell!' She thought, and she could feel Jill's gaze on her back as she walked over to the door. She picked up the phone.  
  
"Yeah? Yeah. Ok, come up." She buzzed the visitor up and turned to Billy.  
  
"Are we gonna go or what?" She asked. Billy didn't reply, but he grabbed his coat and walked to the door of his apartment, briefly glancing back at Jill. She smiled to show him that she was alright and he left with Rebecca. Almost instantly after he left, Leon came through the door. Jill groaned.  
  
"Leon, can't you just leave me alone?" She pleaded.  
  
The last time she had seen him was when she had just left Chris' house. It was raining and she was just wandering down the street, oblivious to the fact that it was late, cold, wet and she had nowhere to go. From way back down the street she had heard Leon call her name, but she had ignored him and continued to walk to god knows where. It was lucky that Billy drove past and offered his bed.  
  
"No. Not until I tell you what I was going to tell you before," He told her. "Carlos tried to screw it up for you before. He got Brett to call and leave a message that basically said that you were cheating on Chris." Jill just laughed.  
  
"I wouldn't put it past him. And to think that I trusted him, that I let him back into my life. I guess I am naíve." She said, more to herself than to Leon.  
  
"Look, if you need somewhere to stay, you know, minus soppy couples, you can stay at mine." He offered.  
  
"You sure?" Jill asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alone most of the time anyway, so I'd appreciate the company," He replied. "And if you need to cry, my shoulder's always available."  
  
He was surprised to see that she started to cry when he said this.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, it's just my hormones. And you're always nice to me...Why?" She asked. Leon shrugged.  
  
"Do I need to have a reason? Besides, that's what friends are for, right?" He smiled and looked at his watch.  
  
"I've got to go now, I'm on my way to work," He told her. "So will you think about what I said?" Jill shook her head.  
  
"I've already decided." She said. "Have you got your keys with you?"  
  
He smiled and handed her his keys.  
  
"Just don't have any wild parties, ok?" Jill laughed and hastily scribbled a note to Rebecca and Billy before following Leon outside.  
  
"You want a lift? My boss won't mind if I'm late." He offered. Jill shook her head.  
  
"I need the fresh air, I'll just walk, but thanks anyway."  
  
Leon smiled at her again and drove off, leaving her standing on the pavement. She started to walk off in the direction of Leon's house when she heard someone call her name. She quickly spun round and a flicker of hatred shot across her eyes.  
  
"Carlos," She spat.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- I know, I know, it's short, but I'm in a hurry to get this up because I'm going away for a long weekend, so you can class this as the first part of the chapter. And, Jane_Is_Weird, I was actually thinking of something similar to abortion! Maybe I'll use that idea if mine doesn't work out! And let's see who can find the line stolen from Final Fantasy IX.(Which I don't own, so you can't sue me!) 


	12. FireFly

I went to your bedroom to see you again,  
  
To miss you that much and it's such a long time,  
  
I went to the aisle to marry to your soul,  
  
To miss you that much *InMe - FireFly*  
  
"Hey, I heard what happened with Chris," Carlos said, trying his best to sound sympathetic but failing miserably. "I'm so sorry. I-"  
  
"You should be," Jill told him, not holding back any of the hatred she felt towards him. "You caused this, didn't you? And don't give me that look Carlos, I've seen it before."  
  
"Jill, what the?"  
  
"You set me up! I know about the phone call. And Brett told Leon that you paid him to kiss me!" She took a deep breath and waited for Carlos' reply.  
  
"Leon? You believe some guy you've barely known over me!"  
  
"I was there, dumbass!" Jill yelled, not caring that people had started to come out of their houses to see what all the noise was about.  
  
"I had a perfect life until I met you! You just want to see me suffer, don't you? I loved Chris. I was going to marry him, I'm pregnant with his child for God's sake! Now, thanks to you, not only have I lost the man I love, but my child has lost his father!"  
  
Jill was shocked when she saw a smile creep across Carlos' face.  
  
"Jill, I love you. I told you that I could get over it, but I can't! Please, just give me one more chance!" He was answered by a slap which made him stumble backwards.  
  
"Don't you dare say that!" Jill spat, her face just inches from his. "You take away everything that meant something to me and you expect another chance? Why don't you just do everyone a favour and drop dead?" With that, she walked off, smiling to herself and leaving the whole street staring at Carlos.  
  
"You're going to wish you never said that," Carlos said to himself, smiling. "Because somebody is going to drop dead, just not me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jill continued to walk, unaware of where she was going. She was too preoccupied with congratulating herself for finally standing up to Carlos. Before she knew it, she was standing in a driveway in front of a familiar house. Chris' house.  
  
'Might as well get some spare clothes while I'm here,' She told herself. What she really wanted was to see Chris, just one last time. She raised a hand and knocked on the front door, not knowing what to expect. A few bangs and coughs from inside the house later, the door opened and Chris stood there, looking down at her. She could see that his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were red. It was obvious that he had been crying. Jill coughed.  
  
"Icamepickupsomemyclothes," Jill said as fast as she could.  
  
"Huh?" Was the reply. She took a deep breath and tried again.  
  
"I came to pick up some of my clothes." Chris nodded and stepped aside to let her pass, his eyes following her as she walked into the empty living room. He closed the door behind him and pointed to the staircase.  
  
"They are right where you left them," He told her in a sad, quiet voice. Jill didn't look back at him, instead she just climbed the stairs and walked into the room that she used to share with Chris, tiptoeing past Claire's room where she could hear St Anger playing from. The bed was just the way they'd left it, suggesting that he had slept on the sofa the previous night. She sniffed, promising herself that the tears wouldn't win this time and was about to walk over to the wardrobe when she noticed something on the table beside the bed. She walked over to it and picked it up. It was her engagement ring. She wrapped her fingers around it and held it close to her chest, as she was forced to recall the events of the previous night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Downstairs, Chris sat on the sofa, holding his head in his hands.  
  
'Maybe I should just go upstairs and talk to her?' He thought. 'No, she came to pick up her clothes, that means that she is leaving for good.' His thoughts were interrupted by what felt like something chewing his ear. He raised a hand and batted whatever it was away, only to be replied by a startled 'miaow' as Baby fell off the back of the sofa.  
  
"Oops," He said, "Sorry." The little kitten reappeared round the corner of the sofa and looked at Chris the way Jill used to when she was mad at him. He patted the cushion next to him and Baby jumped up and sat down on it, resting against Chris' leg.  
  
"I wish she was more forgiving," He told the quiet room, reaching down and stroking the kitten behind her ears. She looked up at him and mewed softly.  
  
"Maybe you're right," He said, "Maybe I am a jerk. I should go talk to her." He stood up, startling Baby and hesitantly walked up the stairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jill put the ring back on the table and stood up.  
  
"There's no point living in the past," She told herself, reaching down and making the bed. 'What the hell am I doing?' She asked herself, stopping what she was doing and shaking her head.  
  
"Jill." She spun around and saw Chris standing in the doorway.  
  
"I'm sorry," She told him, quickly walking over to the wardrobe. "I'll be quick." Chris sighed.  
  
"It's not that," He told her. "Look, Jill I-"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry," She interrupted, reaching into her pocket. "The keys." As she wrapped her fingers around the house keys, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and placed her hand across it.  
  
"You ok?" Chris asked, seeing the pained expression on her face. She nodded and pulled out the keys.  
  
"It's just cramp," She lied. Chris raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I know I flunked Biology, but I know that it's impossible for you to have cramp," He told her. She just shrugged.  
  
"Since when did you start caring?" She asked, handing him the keys. As Chris took them, his fingers brushed against hers and he was surprised to find that she didn't let go of the keys.  
  
"Since when did I stop?" He said. Jill opened her mouth to reply but the words never came out. Instead she just looked up into Chris' Hazel eyes as he let go of the keys and wrapped his fingers around her slender wrist. Jill suddenly found it hard to breath as he released her wrist and placed a hand on her cheek, and she found herself placing her hand on his.  
  
"Chris," She whispered as he moved closer to her. He pressed a finger against her lips and moved closer yet again. Jill closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her gently. She let the keys fall to the floor and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
Chris suddenly pulled away when he heard a door closing across the hallway.  
  
"Chris! Where are you?" Came an all-too-familiar voice from just outside the room.  
  
Jill touched her lips and looked up at Chris who was staring at the door, preparing himself for what was about to happen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Billy stared at Rebecca in disbelief.  
  
"I-No. Tell me it's not true, please," He begged her. Rebecca bit her lip and closed her eyes as a single tear fell slowly down her cheek. She shook her head.  
  
"I can't. Because it is true. I don't want anymore lies between us, Billy. I thought I was doing the right thing," She told him.  
  
"The right thing?" He said, half-shouting. "She was in tears, Rebecca, she was distraught! She lost everything! And it was all because of you!" Rebecca sniffed.  
  
"I wanted to do it then, and in a way, I'm glad that I did, but now I'm beginning to think that it was a bad idea," She told him. He just laughed.  
  
"No shit. You know what you have to do, don't you?" He said, holding out the phone. "Call Chris. Tell him the truth." Rebecca sighed and took the phone.  
  
"And no calling the talking clock this time. Because if you don't tell him then I will." She sighed, since this was exactly what she was planning. She slowly dialled Chris' cell phone number, not sure of what to expect.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Chris, Where a-" Claire stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Jill standing in front of her. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"She came to pick up some clothes," Chris explained, but his sister wasn't listening. He was almost relieved when his cell phone rang, so he stepped aside and answered it.  
  
"So, you couldn't just leave him alone, eh?" Claire asked Jill.  
  
"Yes, I could actually," Jill replied in the tone Leon referred to as the 'Smart-Ass Tone', "But I need some clothes. You see, not everyone around here is two-faced, so Leon said that I could stay with him."  
  
She knew that she had hit home when she saw the look on Claire's face.  
  
"You leave him out of this!" She snarled, moving closer to her.  
  
"Claire..." Chris said in a distant voice, staring down at his cell phone. "Just leave it."  
  
"No, I won't!" She yelled back, still moving closer to Jill.  
  
"You hurt him! And no-one does that to my brother and gets away with it!" Jill stepped back as she felt another sharp pain shoot across her abdomen, but this time it was more painful than before. She pressed her hand against where the pain was.  
  
"You...leave...one...away." Claire's voice sounded far away and barely audible. "Can't...just...see..." Jill stumbled back as yet another pain came. "Claire stop it!" She heard Chris yell. She felt another pain and she stumbled back into the wall, the pain causing tears to come to her eyes. "Jill! Claire stop it! Som..th..gs..wro..g" His voice seemed slow and distorted, but it was the last thing that she heard as another, more excruciating wave of pain hit her and everything went black.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- Whew, another chapter done. And what exactly is Carlos planning, hmm? And maybe Jill's experience may seem a little far-fetched, but I once had the same experience, except I had food poisoning, I wasn't pregnant and I was at a hairdressers, not a fiancée's house. Anyway, reply, you know you want to! Adios! 


	13. Nothing's gonna stop us

I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you,  
  
Whatever it takes, I will stay here with you,  
  
Take you to the good times, see you through the bad times,  
  
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do...  
  
...And we can build this dream together,  
  
Standing strong forever,  
  
Nothing's gonna stop us now.  
  
And if this world runs out of lovers,  
  
We'll still have each other,  
  
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.  
  
*Starship - Nothing's gonna stop us*  
  
Chris paced the empty corridor of the hospital, occasionally stopping and looking at his sister.  
  
"I can't believe I was so stupid," Claire whispered. "This is all my fault. I killed her baby. I-" Chris sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Baby isn't dead," He told her. "Claire, you have to promise me that you won't be so protective. Hell, you're more protective over me than I am over you. Just...Just let me fight my own battles, ok. I don't want you going all psycho every time someone hurts me." Claire sniffed and leaned into him.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I just didn't want to see anyone hurt you again. And she did cheat on you." Chris stared at the tiled floor and cleared his throat.  
  
"Not exactly," He said. Claire shifted her position and looked up at him with a puzzled look. "When you were yelling at Jill, Rebecca called me. She told me that Carlos had paid the guy to ring her up and kiss her. He took us to Haagan Dazs because he wanted me to see it so I'd break up with her. She told me everything."  
  
"That bastard," Claire said. "And Becca was in on this too?" Chris just nodded. It was happening again, everyone he considered a friend was turning against him, Rebecca, Carlos, but he never trusted him anyway. Even Jill and Leon had started to hate him. It had happened before, after Spencer. He remembered it all too clearly, he was even blamed for the deaths of his teammates, his real friends.  
  
He snapped out of his reverie when he heard footsteps. He looked up to see Leon stop beside the small window.  
  
"Leon!" Claire exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back and looked over her shoulder at Chris.  
  
"I'm sorry about what I said," He told him when Claire finally let go. "I didn't mean it, I just got a bit carried away." Chris shook his head.  
  
"It's ok. I'm the one who should be sorry. Rebecca told me everything." Leon looked puzzled.  
  
"You mean she-" Leon stopped when he heard a cough from the room Jill was sleeping in. Chris stood up and pushed open the door to see Jill pushing her short brown hair out of her face. He smiled and ran over to the bed.  
  
"W-what happened?" She asked sleepily. Chris looked up at the nurse currently making notes on her clipboard, and she smiled down at Jill.  
  
"You have a mild kidney disease," She explained. "But don't worry, it's fairly common in pregnant women, especially those who are stressed. It's nothing antibiotics can't cure. But we'd like to keep you in overnight, just as a precaution." Jill looked up at the nurse, knowing that there was more to this than she was telling her.  
  
"Well, if antibiotics can cure it then why can't I go home? The pains have stopped." Jill's voice was still faint. The nurse looked down at her again and sighed.  
  
"The pains you were feeling were contractions. But don't worry, we've managed to stop them, we just want to keep an eye on you for the time being." The nurse turned and exited the room, leaving Jill alone with Chris, Leon and Claire.  
  
"I'm sorry," Claire told her, moving closer to the bed. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have yelled at you."  
  
"It's ok. I felt one before I came round yours. After I spoke to Carlos," She reassured her, but she saw Claire start to cry and Leon hold her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rebecca hammered on the door once more, before yelling his name.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, hold on a minute." She heard followed by some Spanish swearing, before the door opened.  
  
"Oh, Becky, come in," Carlos said. Rebecca pushed past him into his messy apartment.  
  
"Well, we did it," He said, smiling. Rebecca slapped him.  
  
"Jesu Cristo!" He swore. "What is this, National Hurt Carlos Day?"  
  
"You said no-one was going to get hurt!" Rebecca yelled.  
  
"No-one did, chica," He replied, with no idea what she was talking about.  
  
"Liar! Billy just rang me! Leon said that Jill is in hospital! She almost lost her baby!" Carlos shrugged and picked up some old magazines.  
  
"Maybe it's for the best," He replied cockily. "I don't think I could raise another man's child." He had to move quick to avoid another slap.  
  
"Enough, ok!" She told him, fury filling her voice. "They're probably going to get back together now anyway. I told Chris the truth." She had half expected Carlos to turn around and give her a horrified look, but he just laughed.  
  
"It doesn't make any difference anyway," He told her, throwing the magazines in a box and picking up some more.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked him, scared of what his reply might be. "Let's just put it this way," He told her with an evil smile on his face. "If I can't have her, then no-one can." Rebecca gasped.  
  
"No!" She screamed. "No! You can't kill her!" Carlos just laughed again.  
  
"Who said I was going to kill her?" He asked, with emphasis on 'I' and 'her'. Rebecca clasped her hand over her mouth to stop herself throwing up and ran out of his apartment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was getting late and Jill shook her pillows in another vain attempt to fall asleep. She had lost count of the hours since Leon and Claire had left. Chris had insisted on staying and was currently sleeping in the chair beside her bed. He had told her all about Rebecca's phone call. She just couldn't believe, no matter how hard she tried, that Rebecca would do something like that to her. But she was glad, in a way that she had told Chris. The past few hours they had talked about everything, things they had never even mentioned before. He had told her that he was afraid he had lost her when she collapsed, and how he had decided that it didn't matter what she did, he would still love her. After thinking about this, Jill finally felt herself drifting off to sleep, when someone burst through the door. She made a mental note to beat whoever it was as soon as she got let out and opened an eye.  
  
"Beck?" She said. Rebecca leaned against the doorframe while she caught her breath.  
  
"Jill," She said when she could breath again. "I'm really s-sorry, and I don't expect you to f-forgive me, but it's Carlos. He's gone...mad."  
  
"Mad? Rebecca, what are you talking about?" Jill asked, sitting up.  
  
"I don't know, but I think he's going to...Well, he said that he was going to-" She was interrupted by a nurse poking her head round the door.  
  
"Excuse me miss, but visiting times are over, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Rebecca looked at her, then back down at Jill.  
  
"Just call me when you get out, please. And watch your back." She told her before following the nurse outside. After she was gone, Jill shook her head.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" She said aloud.  
  
"What?" Came a voice from beside her. She looked sideways and saw Chris stand up and walk over to the bed.  
  
"Oh, nothing," She told him, laying back down. "I'm just a bit tired." Chris kneeled down beside her and reached for her left hand. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a ring.  
  
"I guess I'm gonna have to do this all over again," He told her. "Jillian Valentine, will you marry me?" Jill smiled.  
  
"I dunno, I mean I've had a lot of proposals, you may have to wait... Of course I'll marry you, you moron!" She told him as tears came to her eyes. Chris smiled as he slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her lightly on the lips.  
  
"Goodnight Miss Jillian," He said and rested his head on the bed beside her and smiled. Nothing was going to stop them now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- Don't you just love that song? And mannequin is one of my favourite films. So...Will Carlos get his own way? (As if) I really like Carlos, but he is so good as an evil git. Anyway, I'm debating on whether or not to let the wedding go ahead as planned, but if I do, do you think that I should write it, or just say they got married? And I apologise for yet another short chapter. Ciao! 


	14. The gun called hate

I ripped out  
  
His throat  
  
And called you on the telephone  
  
To take off  
  
My disguise  
  
Just in time to hear you cry when you...  
  
You mourn the death of your bloody valentine  
  
The night he died  
  
You mourn the death of your bloody valentine  
  
One last time  
  
*Good Charlotte - My Bloody Valentine*  
  
"Seriously, dad, I'm fine, it was just a minor thing," Jill told her father down the phone, still unable to find the courage to tell him that in about five months he would be a grandfather. "So, when are you coming up? Tomorrow?! But the wedding is tomorrow! Oh, well, as long as you get here. See you then, bye." She hung up and collected her change before turning round to face Chris.  
  
"They are flying him over tomorrow morning," She explained. 'At least he's getting out next year though,' She told herself. Her father was jailed for grand theft when she was just sixteen, and now, at twenty-five, he was finally being freed two years early for good behaviour. "They won't let him out before that. They're probably afraid that he'll escape or something." Chris smiled and walked over to her.  
  
"It is kind of weird though, I mean they've never done anything like this before," He told her.  
  
"Don't question it, He's coming to the wedding and I don't care how." Chris handed her a bag full of clothes. 'I was only staying for a night, what the hell was she thinking?' The previous night, Claire had disappeared for about quarter of an hour and when she returned she was carrying a bag with just about every single piece of clothing that Jill owned inside.  
  
"You coming or what?" Jill heard her future sister-in-law shout down the hospital corridor. Jill shuddered.  
  
"I've just realised something," She said. "When we get married tomorrow, she'll be my sister."  
  
"Hmm," Chris replied. "You sure you want it to go ahead now?" Jill just laughed and punched him playfully in the stomach.  
  
"She's not that bad."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rebecca stared at her cell phone on the table, waiting for it to ring. Now and again, she casually glanced down at her watch then looked around the room before continuing to stare at her phone. Although she was expecting it, she jumped when Tubular Bells started playing. 'Get a grip girl,' She told herself as she hastily answered the phone.  
  
"Yeah?" She said hopefully. "Oh, Billy, it's you."  
  
"Don't sound so disappointed."  
  
"I'm sorry, I thought it was Jill. I asked her to ring me when they let her out."  
  
"Jill? Well she's out. That's why I'm ringing you. They are all going to the cinema, and since I didn't think they'd tell you, I thought I would. You wanna come?" Rebecca sighed.  
  
"Yeah, where should I meet you?"  
  
"Erm...Well how about infront of the station in say...five minutes. They're all walking anyway."  
  
"Sure, whatever." And she hung up. 'So much for ringing me,' She thought and started to make her way out of the apartment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, have you decided what to see yet?" Claire asked. Jill shook her head.  
  
"Either X-men or Bedazzled," Jill suggested.  
  
"Well, Hugh Jackman is in X-Men, so..." Claire started.  
  
"Yeah, but Liz Hurley is in Bedazzled," Chris pointed out. His statement earned an elbow in the ribs from Jill.  
  
"But Rebecca Romjin-Stamos is in X-Men." Chris seemed to be lost in thought for a few minutes after his sister spoke.  
  
"Well..." Jill coughed.  
  
"Well, since I have just came out of hospital, I should be the one to choose, and I vote X-Men," Jill stated. Chris raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Well you would, wouldn't you?" Jill placed her arm round his waist and leaned against him.  
  
"Shouldn't we wait for Billy?" She asked him. He didn't answer, but he stopped walking, which she took as a yes.  
  
"You know, maybe we should split up after the movie, I mean it's supposed to be bad luck, isn't it? Seeing each other the night before. I mean, we wouldn't-"  
  
"Jill," Chris interrupted, looking down at her. "Shut up." She tilted her head back and looked up to see him smiling down at her.  
  
"Oh, so you are starting to boss me around already?" She said in a mocking tone.  
  
"Whatever, just kiss me Valentine." Being clever, Jill stepped back onto the bottom step of the train station entrance, where they had arranged to meet Billy. She smiled, as she was now almost eye-level with Chris and leaned forward so her lips just brushed his ear.  
  
"I've got heels for tomorrow," She whispered. She heard him laugh, and moved so that they were face-to-face again, before leaning into him and kissing him passionately. She heard Claire make vomiting sounds as Chris wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Don't you guys have any respect for the sanity of these poor people?" Claire asked, pointing at the people entering the station, who weren't aware of the couple just a few feet away from them.  
  
Shaking her head, she turned to look at who she was pointing at, but they were now gone, and in their place stood Billy and Rebecca.  
  
"Oh no!" Claire groaned, stepping back and unintentionally bumping into Chris.  
  
"He, watch-" Jill started, before seeing their newly-arrived companion and the person beside him. "Hi Billy!" She said, stepping back down to ground level and hugging him.  
  
"Hey, you guys don't mind if Rebecca comes, do you?" He asked. Claire started kicking a stone on the ground, Leon dug his hands into his pockets and made it seem like he was looking for something while Jill just stuttered.  
  
"No, we don't mind, do we guys? Just as long as she doesn't try to talk to any of us," Chris replied after a few minute's silence. Rebecca looked down at her laces, which had suddenly became the most fascinating things in the world, and shrugged.  
  
"It's hot, my throat's dry and It's not like I have anything to say to any of you." She knew that the last part was a lie, but she figured that it didn't really matter, because Carlos never acted fast and it was true that he was a psycho, but he wouldn't go as far as to murder someone.  
  
"Then we'll get along fine," Chris told her. Jill cleared her throat.  
  
"So, are we actually going to the cinema today?" She asked. Chris glared at Rebecca one last time before taking Jill's hand and starting to walk towards the cinema.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rebecca couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. It was like she was walking towards something that couldn't be avoided, a feeling of impending doom. She tried to ignore it and pushed it to the back of her mind, but whenever she did this, it just seemed to resurface again, this time even stronger than before. She could feel herself start to sweat and rubbed furiously at her forehead.  
  
"Are you ok?" Billy asked her.  
  
"Yeah," She lied. "I'm just a bit hot." She fanned her face with her hand to prove her point and Billy looked forward again and kept walking. She looked around for something to distract her when her eyes drifted to a café across the street and a cold shiver ran down her spine. At this point, Jill stopped and asked the others to wait while she answered her cell phone, which had just started ringing. Rebecca looked back over at the café and sure enough, there he was. There was no mistaking him. He had long blonde hair, and looked a bit like Justin Hawkins. It was Brett. She felt a lump in her throat when she saw him stand up and put his hand under his jacket. 'No!' She didn't know what to do, then she saw him pull a pistol out from under his jacket and point it at them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chris was too busy admiring Jill to know what was going on. It wasn't until people started screaming that he knew something was wrong. He barely had time to look up when he heard two gunshots and felt something slam into his side. He didn't have time to react, and he fell to the ground.  
  
#So many issues we should address  
  
'Cos our lives just don't correlate  
  
All the emotions that we suppress  
  
Bite our tongues until it's too late  
  
We're not as close  
  
As we used to be - you and me  
  
In the eye of the storm  
  
We keep each other warm  
  
Love on the rocks  
  
You'd do anything for a quiet life  
  
Love on the rocks  
  
Love on the rocks with no ice#  
  
*The Darkness - Love On The Rocks With No Ice*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- So, who got shot? Since I made Brett as a sort of tribute to Justin Hawkins, I decided that I should include a Darkness song to apologise. And I know that I've already used My Bloody Valentine, but I just love it, and it sort of fits in with the chapter. And also, I can't believe that I haven't done this before, you must think that I am an ungrateful bitch, but thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far! (And, tek, I think you did things great in Aftermath Of Destruction, but I'm not one to say no to more C/J!) There are only a few more chapters left, but that depends on how long I make them, and if I do the wedding. And if any of you are reading Daredevil, I might take it off, because ff.net isn't letting me upload any more chapters for some strange reason, so I'll try taking it off then uploading it again. And after I've finished this, I'll go back and edit the chapters so that they are easier on the eye. Anyway, I'm going on now, aren't I, so I'll leave you to review. Auf wiedersehen! 


	15. Who shot Rebecca Chambers?

Rebecca looked at Brett as he looked back at her with a horrified expression before he shoved the gun back inside his coat and ran. She didn't even realise what had happened until she heard Jill scream. Then it all came back to her. She had seen Brett raise the gun and point it straight at them, straight at Chris. She didn't think, and the next thing she knew, she shoved Chris aside. That was when she heard the shots. That was when she stumbled back from the impact, and looked up at Brett. Jill was still screaming and Chris was starting to stand up again when she felt the pain in her chest and something warm soak through her thin t-shirt. Everything was starting to blur now, and her legs became weaker the longer she stood. She realised that she had been holding her breath for the last ten seconds since the shots were fired and she tried to breathe in, only to feel more pain, and she coughed.  
  
Jill had panicked when she heard the shots. She panicked even more when she saw Chris fall to the ground, but she still didn't scream. But when she saw Rebecca standing still, not moving, and the red spots on her t-shirt start to grow, she could hold it in no longer and she screamed. When she coughed, Jill could see blood trickle out of the corner of Rebecca's mouth, and she ran forward just in time to catch the younger girl as she fell.  
  
"Rebecca!" She screamed, placing her hand over one of her wounds and applying pressure. "Don't just stand there! Someone call 911!" Claire tore her eyes away from them and pulled out her cell phone, while Billy fell to Rebecca's side.  
  
"Becka," He whispered as his eyes filled with tears. "It's going to be alright. You're going to make it." Rebecca didn't hear him, because at that moment, her world went dark.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carlos was sitting at the table in his apartment, reading the day's newspaper when the door flew open and Brett ran in, slamming it behind him.  
  
"Well?" Carlos asked him without looking up. "Is he dead?" He was replied with a pistol sliding towards him, across the table.  
  
"This is all your fault!" Brett yelled at him. This time Carlos looked up at the man to see that his usually-neat hair was clinging to the side of his face, and he was red and gasping for breath.  
  
"What? You missed?" Carlos asked, starting to panic.  
  
"No!" Brett yelled. "I hit! I sure as hell hit, and twice! I just didn't hit him! I hit the girl!"  
  
"What?!" Carlos screamed, standing up. "You hit Jill?!" Brett shook his head.  
  
"Not Jill, the other girl. Your friend, Rebecca." Carlos gave Brett a pleading look, hoping that this was just another one of his cruel jokes.  
  
"I aimed at Chris, but she pushed him out of the way and the bullets hit her instead."  
  
Carlos didn't say anything, he just sat back down and held his head in his hands. For the first time in his life, Carlos Oliveira was scared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Billy paced the relative's room at the hospital, and he was already making Jill dizzy. It was only about an hour or two since she had last been in here, and she had hoped that she wouldn't see its long, white corridors for at least another four or five months, and then it would be to have her child, not to wait around in a dimly-lit room waiting to hear if Rebecca was going to make it or not, with only old issues of Cosmopolitan to keep her company. No-one had said a word since the doctor had left. Billy was just walking around, Leon had started to pull loose threads out of his sleeves, Claire was absently flicking through the pages of a three-year-old issue of Cosmopolitan, not actually looking at the pages, Sherry was holding onto Leon, afraid to let go, Barry was rubbing his beard and Jill was staring at the floor, hoping that it somehow held the answer to the question that was constantly plaguing her mind; Would Rebecca survive? Chris wasn't there. Upon arrival in the hospital, he had complained about a pain in his side, and Claire had made him see a doctor to get it sorted out, but all he wanted to do was find out if Rebecca was alright, after all (as Chris put it), she did save his life, and no matter what she did to him before, she didn't deserve to die. But the doctors had explained that they needed to remove the bullets, one of which had apparently pierced a lung, and that it would take a while, so he had plenty time, and he finally agreed. Jill snapped out of her daydream when she felt Leon move beside her.  
  
"Are you ok?" He asked. Jill shook her head.  
  
"What if she dies? She thinks that I hate her."  
  
"Don't say that," He told her. "She's not going to die. And I doubt she thinks that." He put his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him.  
  
"I'm supposed to be getting married tomorrow," She said to no-one in particular. "Dad was supposed to be coming up. I was supposed to have my hen party tonight. I hate irony." Leon smiled weakly and rubbed her arm.  
  
"There's nothing to stop that happening, is there? Unless you give up hope on everything," He told her.  
  
"Maybe." The last time she had been in a hospital as a visitor was when she was twelve years old. It was to visit her dying mother. She hated the places, they were always full of death and misery, but at the same time, hope and miracles. She had never believed in miracles until she had met Chris in Starbucks that day, and now she wasn't so sure if she did anymore.  
  
"I feel sick, I'm going to take a walk," Jill said, shifting her position so that she was facing Leon. "Have you got any change? I'm feeling a bit thirsty." Leon sighed and dug into his pocket with the arm that didn't have a fourteen-year-old clinging onto it and pulled out a few coins. He handed them to Jill, not knowing how much he had gave her. She smiled as a way of thanking him and exited the room, taking a deep breath as soon as she had closed the door behind her.  
  
Not knowing where it led, and not really caring either, she turned right and walked down the corridor in front of her as the sick were pushed past in wheelchairs or on beds. She stopped by a window just in front of the Paediatric Ward, as the overhead sign told her, and realised that she was still holding onto the money that Leon had gave her. She noticed a Cancer Research charity box on the windowsill and dropped the coins inside.  
  
"I wondered how many drinks machines you were gonna pass before you realised that you had money in your hand." Jill turned around and found herself face-to-face with Chris.  
  
"Actually, I'm not that thirsty," She said, smiling up at him. "And mom died from breast cancer, so... Anyway, what did the doctors say?"  
  
"Oh, I just cracked a rib," He shrugged, looking out of the window.  
  
"You know, if this had happened yesterday, you would be crying like a baby. And don't look at me like that! Redfields have a talent forover-reacting. Like when Claire broke her arm, you would think she was dying!"  
  
"Yeah, well yesterday Rebecca wasn't dying," He told her. "And if she hadn't pushed me out of the way and broke one of my ribs, I would be the one lying in there now, or lying in a body bag." Jill hit his arm since she didn't know which side the broken rib was on.  
  
"Stop being so pessimistic, she isn't dying, at least I don't think so. Aah." Jill winced in pain and placed her hand at the base of her spine.  
  
"Are you ok?" Chris asked her, holding onto her right arm. She nodded.  
  
"I just need to sit down, my back is killing me." Chris helped her to a bench just a few feet back down the hallway.  
  
"That's better," She said as she sat down. Chris put his arm around her, just like Leon had about five minutes earlier, and she leaned into him and he winced as she placed her arm across him, just happening to rest it where the broken rib was. He reached down and moved her arm so that it was lower and less painful, as she muttered a quick apology.  
  
"You know, I've just realised that you're wearing on of my t-shirts," He said in a tone that also asked why. Jill giggled and moved closer to him.  
  
"Yeah, well most of my tops are getting too tight. I am about four and a half months pregnant, you know. I'm surprised it took you so long to notice." She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes as she heard him laugh.  
  
"So, have you been thinking of any names?" He asked.  
  
"Well, I was thinking about naming it after one of the boys," She replied, referring to the tragic S.T.A.R.S. team from Raccoon City. "But then I though, 'What if it's a girl?' So I thought about Anya, Jane or Elizabeth for a girl. Elizabeth was mom's name."  
  
"What about boys?" Chris asked.  
  
"Well, since you're the father, I thought I'd let you choose. Providing that it's not something stupid like Bogey Lewingstein or something."  
  
"Well, how about Frodo? Or Legolas, Aragorn, Meriadoc, Peregrin or perhaps Sephiroth?" He suggested in a mock-serious voice.  
  
"Ahem, I am not naming my child after anyone from Middle-Earth or Midgar!"  
  
"Actually, I don't think Sephiroth was from Midgar, I think he was- Ow, ok, ok. How about Kyle? Reese? Orlando? Malakhi? Elro- I was joking! Or David?"  
  
"Hmm...Don't think I don't get the whole Orlando thing, that was still Lord of The Rings-ish. I like Kyle though. And if he's called Malakhi, he'd never be able to spell it, so I think that's-" Jill looked up as she had finally realised that someone was stood in front of them. She had forgotten that they were even in a hospital, let alone why they were there and who they were there with. Her brain finally registered the person as Leon Scott Kennedy, with Sherry Birkin still clinging onto his arm for dear life.  
  
"She's out of the operating theatre now," He explained. "And she's just came round from the anaesthetic. And...and...she says she knows who shot her."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN-Hmm, things aren't looking too good for Carlos and Brett, are they? So it's the day before the wedding, just how many more things could possibly go wrong, and will the wedding be postponed? Or cancelled? And will I ever write longer chapters? I don't think so, bit it's a habit that I'm desperately trying to kick. I will be amazed if I ever post a chapter over 2000 words. Anyway, I'm having trouble coming up with a name for the baby, can you help me? And whoever asked about Auf Wiedersehen (I think it was Spider-Bear), I think it's German, and I think it means goodbye, but I took Italian, so I don't know. Toodles! 


	16. Billy the Vigilante

Does it kill  
  
Does it burn  
  
Is it painful to learn  
  
That it's me that has all the control  
  
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love  
  
You'll understand what I mean when I say  
  
There's no way we're gonna give up  
  
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams  
  
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe  
  
*Maroon 5 - Harder To Breathe*  
  
It wasn't long before Leon (and Sherry) had led Chris and Jill to Rebecca's room, and when they did arrive, Jill wasn't sure that she could go inside.  
  
"Come on, she wants to see you," Leon assured her. She shook her head.  
  
"I can't, I just can't, what if she's..." She stopped when she felt Chris' hand close around her own. She turned to look at him, and was almost knocked over when a nurse came through the door.  
  
"Oh, sorry," The nurse apologised. "Well, twice in the space of a few hours, this isn't your day is it?" She added, looking at Jill, who had no idea what she was talking about, until she recognised her as the nurse who had looked after her that morning.  
  
"I guess not...How is she?"  
  
"Well, we've managed to remove the bullets, but she's still not out of the woods yet," The nurse explained.  
  
"But she will be ok, won't she?" Chris asked.  
  
"It's hard to say, but hopefully things will become clearer in the next few hours. We'll keep you informed, and don't worry, she's in good hands," The nurse replied, seeing Jill's worried expression. Jill decided that she could wait no longer and walked into the room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Brett asked in a high-pitched voice. Carlos shook his head in reply.  
  
"I have no idea...Did she see you?"  
  
"See me?!" Brett yelled, getting more and more frustrated. "She was looking straight at me!"  
  
"Shit! I'll go and see her at the hospital. Hopefully she hasn't spoken to the police yet."  
  
"And what if she has?" Brett asked, grabbing Carlos by the shoulders and shaking him violently. Carlos pushed him away.  
  
"Then God help us."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rebecca opened her eyes as she heard the door open again and saw Jill, Chris and Leon walk through it.  
  
"Rebecca," Jill said as she walked over to the bed. "I'm so sorry, this is all because of me." Rebecca shook her head.  
  
"D-don't say that," She told her, though her voice was almost non- existent and it obviously pained her to speak. Billy told her not to say anything, and then told the four who had just joined them to sit down. Leon sat down on a chair beside Claire, with Sherry kneeling beside him, and Jill made her way to the last seat left, which was just by the side of Rebecca's bed. She looked down at it, but never sat on it. Instead, she looked up at Chris and pointed down to the chair.  
  
"No, you sit down," He told her, walking up to her.  
  
"I haven't broken any ribs, now sit!"  
  
"Yeah, well I'm not pregnant, now you sit!" Jill gave him one of the looks that used to make him tremble at the very sight of them, but this time he just sighed and sat down.  
  
"That's better, now-woah!" Jill was unable to finish her sentence, because suddenly Chris had grabbed her waist and pulled her down onto his knee. He then wrapped his arms around her so that she couldn't stand up.  
  
"No, *this* is better!" He said, his lips only millimetres from her ear.  
  
"Whatever," She mumbled. Rebecca tried to laugh, but instead found herself coughing.  
  
"No! Don't speak," Jill told her. "If you want to say something, use sign language."  
  
"Does being pregnant screw your brain up?" Chris asked, turning sideways towards Barry, who laughed.  
  
"So...You looking...forward to tomorrow?" Rebecca asked, ignoring Jill's instructions, and the yelp of pain that suddenly came from Chris' direction.  
  
"Tomorrow? Oh, no...we're not getting married tomorrow, not anymore," Jill replied, shifting to a more comfortable position on Chris' knee. "We couldn't, not while you're in here."  
  
"B-but you've been looking forward...to it so much! You...can't just drop it be...because of that asshole. It's...what he wants," Rebecca told her in the most furious voice that she could manage, given her current state.  
  
"What asshole?" Billy demanded. "I think it's about time you told us who did this!"  
  
"Billy! She's in no-" Barry started, but was interrupted when the door opened and a police officer stepped inside.  
  
"Rebecca Chambers?" He asked. Rebecca nodded. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened, is that ok?"  
  
"Ok?" Jill said, causing the officer to look at her. "She can barely speak, can't you see that she's been shot? If you need any answers then I can give them to you." The last part of her statement caused everyone in the room to stare at her. "And I'm not going into another room, everyone here has a right to hear what I have to say," She added.  
  
"Then I have no problem," The officer replied, taking a notepad out of his pocket. "If you can start by telling me what happened." Jill took a deep breath.  
  
"Well, I'll tell you what I can remember...I had just came out of hospital this morning, for reasons that I'd rather keep to myself, and the guys had offered to take me to the cinema." She signalled to the others in the room. "We had arranged to meet Billy at the train station, so we waited, and when he came, he had brought along Rebecca, which we weren't to happy about since we had recently fallen out with her. On the way to the cinema, we walked past this café and..." Jill rubbed her eyes, unsure if she could carry on. "I was talking to Chris, we were talking about our wedding, and the next thing I knew, I heard gunshots, and I saw Chris fall to the ground, so I panicked. Then I-I looked over to the café and I saw... Anyway, when I saw the blood on Rebecca's shirt, I screamed."  
  
"Can I ask you what you saw when you looked over at the café, miss...?" The officer said when she had finished.  
  
"Valentine. I...I saw him. He was holding a gun and he was looking at Rebecca. His name is Brett Sanderson," She told him without breathing. The officer wrote something down on the notepad.  
  
"Do you have any idea why Mr. Sanderson would have shot Miss Chambers? Did he have a motive?"  
  
"Actually, he wasn't meant to shoot Rebecca...at least I don't think so. You see, Rebecca pushed Chris aside, so I think that he was shooting at Chris. I think his friend...C-Carlos Oliveira got him to do it. Carlos is an ex-boyfriend of mine, and he is still in love with me in a psycho kind of way, and he's been trying to stop us getting married, he even got Brett to..." She told the officer all about the time at the mall. "...He's been trying so hard to ruin my life." By this time, Jill was in tears. Chris held her closer.  
  
"Hey, don't cry," He whispered in her ear. "We still love each other right? Isn't that all that matters? And besides, he failed, because I love you more than ever now." This did not have the desired effect on her, as she started to cry even harder. She only looked up when she heard the door slam, and she saw that Billy's seat was empty.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carlos threw the sofa cushion aside in the search for his cell phone. He swore that he had had it a few minutes before. He had just reached for another cushion when he heard the door slam.  
  
"God damn it Brett, I thought I told you to go home!" He yelled.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, but *I* didn't get that message!" Came an unfamiliar voice from behind him, causing him to turn around. He didn't even have time to see who the visitor was, since he found himself thrown against a wall.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. He looked up at the visitor to see a man in his late twenties looking down at him with a look of pure hatred on his face. He also noticed a tattoo that covered his right arm.  
  
"My name is Billy Coen," He told him. "And in case you haven't heard, I was sentenced to death for the murder of twenty-three people!" Billy conveniently left out the part where he was innocent. "And I hate odd numbers!" He added, smiling with satisfaction when Carlos leapt up and ran for the door, but Billy had locked it after he had entered. As Carlos fumbled with the latch, Billy grabbed him and punched him. Billy didn't care what he said to Carlos, hell, he couldn't even care if he killed him, all he could care about was making him pay for what he did to Rebecca.  
  
"What the hell do you want with me?!" Carlos yelled, as Billy grabbed the fist that he had sent flying towards him and threw him back down on the floor.  
  
"My girlfriend is lying in hospital now because of you, and you have tried to ruin my friends' relationship! And you tried to murder Chris!" He yelled back. Carlos jumped up and caught Billy off guard with a punch to the stomach, before running off towards the pistol that Brett had left on the table.  
  
"This is the same gun that Brett shot Rebecca with!" Carlos told Billy, hoping to scare him. Billy moved over to the door and stood in front of it. "Leave now, and maybe I won't use it to shoot you!"  
  
Billy shook his head.  
  
"Then you're just going to have to shoot me, it's not like I've got anything to lose anymore," He replied calmly, though not exactly calm on the inside, owing to the fact that a psychopath was pointing a gun at him. Carlos jumped when he heard sirens from outside.  
  
"That's the police, Carlos, there's no way out now, just put the gun down and I promise they won't hurt you," Billy said. He mentally kicked himself as he was trying to show that he wasn't scared, but he had involuntarily started to use the voice that he spoke to terrorists in in negotiations. Carlos could feel the sweat start to trickle down his forehead and he raised a hand and wiped it away.  
  
"They can't do anything to me, I haven't shot anyone! I'm not a murderer!" He yelled, more to convince himself than Billy.  
  
"Well if you shoot me, you will be," Billy explained, still refusing to move. Carlos closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger. Click. He opened his eyes and looked at the weapon before pulling the trigger again, and again and again.  
  
"It's empty, dickweed!" Billy yelled at him as they heard the door downstairs open.  
  
"Look, Billy, was it? Please just move aside!" Carlos half-yelled.  
  
"I cannot just stand by and let you escape." At that moment, there was a bang on the door, and the whole wall shook. A few seconds later there was a second and the door burst open, with several armed police officers rushing in.  
  
"No!" Carlos screamed as two officers grabbed him, one handcuffing him.  
  
"Mr Oliveira, I'm arresting you for conspiracy and possession of a dangerous weapon. You have the right to remain silent..."  
  
"Mr Coen?" Billy turned round and found himself face-to-face with the same police officer that had interviewed Jill only ten minutes before.  
  
"Do you need a ride back to the hospital?" Billy nodded and watched as Carlos was dragged past. 'I guess you do get what you give,' He thought. 'Oh God, I can't believe I left Rebecca.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN- Whew, I finally got it done. Honestly, this must be national Interrupt- Me-When-I'm-Busy week. Anyway, it turns out that I'm going away for another long weekend again, so I thought that I'd post this before I go. Anyway, song credits go to Marroon 5 with 'Harder To Breathe', and I realised that I missed the song off the last chapter. It was supposed to be 'Under The Bridge' by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, so just imagine that it was there. And there's only a few more chapters left, and I realise that since I have put Romance as the first genre on the listing, I should maybe actually concentrate on more C/J now. And now that the whole Carlos and Brett thing is over, I can do...The Wedding! But since I was about three or four years old the last time I went to a wedding and since that was about...twelve or thirteen years ago, I have no idea what weddings are like, and help would be very much appreciated. And talking about Brett, I want to wish Justin Hawkins' band The Darkness all the best for the upcoming BRIT awards. The Grammys are usually better though. Also, I would like to give credit to the T.V. program that I 'borrowed the scene with Billy and Carlos from, even though I can't remember it's name. And no prizes or finding the line that I 'borrowed' from Pirates of The Caribbean (Johnny *WILL* win that Oscar!) Laters! 


	17. China Rose

I won't say what's on my mind, because you already know  
  
I am forever in your arms, and this moment will remain in my heart  
  
The more you hold me, the more I can smile  
  
I'll still love you in a thousand years, in our next life  
  
China rose  
  
*Nanase Aikawa - China Rose*  
  
"There you go!" Jessica Valentine told her cousin as she stood back and admired her work. Jill turned towards the full-length mirror that stood in the corner of the room, and smiled when she saw her reflection.  
  
"Are you sure you aren't a hairdresser?" She asked Jessica.  
  
"Nope, vet all the way," She replied as she sat on the end of the bed. "So, what do you think, Claire?" A groan came from the floor on the other side of the bed, and a hand appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Claire's head followed. Jill laughed when she saw her future sister-in-law. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were glazed over, with bags underneath them.  
  
"She looks...great," She replied in a slurred voice. Jessica and  
  
Jill laughed.  
  
"Maybe when you have your hen night, you might want to lay off the booze a bit!" Jill laughed.  
  
"Whatever," Was the reply, and Claire stumbled over to the door and tried to unhook her dress from the top of the door. She managed it on the third try.  
  
"I guess I'm gonna have to do your make-up now, so hurry up and get changed. I can't believe it, I never thought I'd see you get married, Jillian!" Jessica squealed as a loud thump signalled that Claire had once again fallen over.  
  
"Me neither," Jill replied, turning sideways and pulling at her wedding dress. "You don't think my bump shows up, do you?" Jessica shook her head, even though the slight bump was more obvious than it had been in her normal clothes. In fact, Jessica had almost had to sew her into the dress.  
  
"Well, it's erm...Never mind, no-one's going to be looking there anyway, unless that perv, Christoff...Christian...Car...whats-his- name shows up." Jill smiled.  
  
"Carlos, and no, he won't show up, he's in prison now, awaiting his trial. So is Brett." It was true; they had even been refused bail.  
  
Their trial was in one week. "Anyway, there's no use thinking about the past now."  
  


* * *

  
Chris frantically looked around the room, convinced that he was going to forget something.  
  
"Are you sure you've got the rings?" He asked Barry.  
  
"For the thousandth time, Chris, yes I have got the rings," He replied.  
  
"You need to relax, or you'll get a hernia or something," James Valentine told him. James was Jessica's twin brother, which also made him Jill's cousin.  
  
"Aah! Dad isn't here yet!" Chris suddenly yelled. By dad, he was talking about Richard Valentine, Jill's father.  
  
"Oh, for the love of...Chris, Dick is probably already here, because he will be going to see Jill, ok?" Leon said, obviously getting frustrated. "So can we go now?"  
  
"Yeah, Leon's right, I mean, we don't want to let Jill get there before us, it's bad luck, right?" Came an Australian voice from behind them.  
  
"See, even James agrees, so unless you want her to think that you've changed your mind-"  
  
"Ok, ok! I'm coming!" Chris grumbled, looking around the room one last time. "I'm just nervous, I mean, I don't want to screw this up."  
  
"It's natural to be nervous, hell I thought that Cathy was never going to show up at our wedding," Barry told him, handing Billy the car keys.  
  


* * *

  
"Wait!" Jessica yelled. "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue! You can't forget it! You'll curse yourselves!"  
  
"Oh, well I think we have most of that sorted out," Claire told her, looking better than she had earlier, thanks to Jessica's expert make-up skills.  
  
"Yeah," Jill said. "For something borrowed, I've got Rebecca's bracelet, she made me take it. For something Blue, I'm wearing a blue ring and..."  
  
"Aah! Wait a moment!" Claire shrieked and disappeared, returning a few seconds later with an old-looking box.  
  
"Something old." She said, handing it to Jill. Jill opened it and gasped.  
  
"Claire, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed, lifting the necklace out of the box.  
  
"It was mom's," Claire told her.  
  
"Oh, Claire, then I can't-"  
  
"Shut up! Ok? You are wearing it, and I don't want any complaints! She would have wanted you to, if she had known you. You make Chris really happy, and she would love you for that," She told her, helping her put it on.  
  
"Oh, Claire!" Jill cried, flinging her arms around the younger girl. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's my hormones again." At that moment, the phone rang, and Jill answered it.  
  
"Hello?" She asked.  
  
"Jill!"  
  
"Rebecca? What are you doing? You're supposed to be resting."  
  
"I..just wanted to make sure that you didn't cancel the wedding."  
  
"No, I didn't. Now go and rest!"  
  
"I'm feeling much better...now."  
  
"Rebecca, you only got shot yesterday..."  
  
"Ok, it still hurts whenever I move, but at least I can speak properly now."  
  
"Let me talk to her! Let me!" Claire squealed, jumping up and down on the bed.  
  
"I've got to go, Claire wants to speak to you, I'll get Billy to show you the photographs." Even if she had wanted to say more, she couldn't have, because the phone was wrenched out of her grip by the young Redfield.  
  
"Hi Becky! How are you feeling?" Claire squealed into the receiver.  
  
"I feel so sorry for Rebecca," Jill told Jessica. "But if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be going to Chris' funeral, not to our wedding." Jessica put an arm round her cousin.  
  
"Well, they both got what they deserved... Carlos and Brett, I mean," She told her. "Oh, and what about something new?" Jill blushed and giggled.  
  
"Oh, well that's for Chris to find out tonight." Jessica laughed.  
  
"God, you Americans are just weird," She said, still laughing.  
  
"What, do you mean you don't wear underwear in Australia?" Jessica hit her cousin lightly on the arm.  
  
"Come on, Uncle Dick should be here soon, let's go downstairs."  
  


* * *

  
Back at Leon's house, Chris had finally calmed down, but Billy couldn't get the car to start.  
  
"Come on you stupid piece of shit!" He yelled, hitting the wheel.  
  
"Ssh!" James warned him. "Not so loud, or Chris will probably start hyperventilating again, or something." Billy cried out in frustration, jumped out of the car and kicked it.  
  
"Come on! I've only had you for a year!" He yelled, kicking it again.  
  
"Look, why don't we just take my car?" Chris suggested. Leon rolled his eyes.  
  
"Because Billy was so stupid that he parked his car right in front of the driveway!" He pointed out.  
  
"Well, couldn't we just walk then?"  
  
"We'll never make it in time."  
  
"Ah, shit!" Billy screamed, hopping on one leg and holding his right foot. James sighed and walked over to the car and climbed inside. He calmly picked the keys up off the floor and gently turned them. He was rewarded with the roar of the engine, and laughter from Chris and Barry.  
  
"I don't see what's so funny! And how the hell did you do that?" Billy asked, hopping over to the door as James moved along to the passenger seat.  
  
"I guess machines like me," He replied. "Just hurry up or we'll be late." The others piled into the back of the car, with Chris hesitating at the door.  
  
"Are you sure you've-"  
  
"YES!"  
  


* * *

  
"Wow, you look beautiful!" Sherry exclaimed as the three girls walked downstairs. Jill smiled.  
  
"You don't look too bad yourself," She replied admiring the dress that Sherry wore.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to say hello?" Jill looked over to the source of the voice.  
  
"Dad!" She screamed, running over to him (well, you can only run so fast in a wedding dress) and hugging him. "I can't believe it! You made it!"  
  
"Actually, I've been here since last night," Dick replied. Jill looked at him curiously.  
  
"Dad, I have the feeling that there is something that you aren't telling me," She said, eager to hear what it was that he had to say.  
  
"Looks like I'm a free man!" Jill stared at her father in disbelief.  
  
"You what?! That's... But I thought you..." Jill was almost lost for words.  
  
"I'm surprised that Chris didn't tell you, I mean, after all he's the one who helped me get an appeal," He replied.  
  
"You mean he knew about this all along?"  
  
"Yeah, oh and talking about Chris, what's this I hear about you making me a grandfather?" The colour drained from Jill's cheeks.  
  
"Erm...Slip of the tongue," Sherry said, carefully sipping the 7-Up that was left over from the previous night and wrinkling her nose. "Ick, flat. Seriously though, I thought that you had already told him."  
  
"Oh, dad, I'm so sorry, I should have-" She started. Dick shook his head.  
  
"I'm really happy for you, it's what you've always wanted, right?"  
  
Jill smiled. Finally, things were starting to look up.  
  


* * *

  
"Shouldn't she be here by now?" Chris asked Barry, starting to get nervous.  
  
"Relax, will you? It's tradition for the brides to arrive later than the grooms," Barry replied. Chris nervously looked around the room. All of the churches had been booked for that day, so they had decided to get married in an old castle in the rural area of the town. Chris remembered it well, because his parents used to take him and Claire there every summer when they were younger. Claire was obviously too young to remember it, since she was only about three years old the last time that they had visited. The room in which they were getting married was the biggest, and most beautiful, room in the entire castle. It was the chapel in the Northern end of the castle, so the sun was shining on that side, causing the colours of the stained-glass windows to be reflected down onto the floor of the chapel. Chris eventually looked away from the masses of people that occupied the seats in the chapel (he was surprised that so many people showed up) when he heard the chapel doors open, and the organ player start, well, playing. That was when he saw her. At first he thought that she was an angel, she looked that beautiful, and he couldn't help smiling. He had remembered her complaining that half of the dresses in the shop had made her look like a toilet-roll holder, but this dress suited her perfectly. Before he knew it, she was standing next to him.  
  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." Jill wasn't really paying attention to the vicar, she was too busy wondering how her life could turn around so quickly. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was wandering the halls of the Emma Emmerich Memorial Hospital, crying because her friend had been shot by a madman, who was being paid by the man who had tried to ruin her relationship.  
  
They made their vows, and pledged their undying love to each other, in what seemed like seconds.  
  
"Do you, Christopher James Redfield, take thee, Jillian Marie Valentine to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, to have and to hold, 'til death do you part?" Chris felt Jill's hand wrap around his own, and he smiled.  
  
"I do." He said.  
  
"And do you, Jillian Marie Valentine, take thee, Christopher James Redfield to be your lawful wedded husband, to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, to have and to hold, 'til death do you part?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"And now, with the power vested in me, by the church of Charlotte, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." Chris and Jill turned to face each other. Chris smiled when he realised that she was a few inches taller than she usually was. He moved closer to her, his nose brushing her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him back. 'Yes,' Jill thought. 'I could definitely get used to this.'  
  


* * *

  
AN - Well, there you go, the wedding, as promised. Erm... I don't know if that's actually what is said at weddings, because I got the 'Power vested in me' bit off Shrek (hehe), but I didn't hear what was after that, because the fire alarm went off (my sister was cooking :s). And I wrote the bit describing the church when my cousin (I was staying with my aunt over the weekend to baby-sit my second-cousin) was watching Interview With The Vampire (which I have seen God knows how many times because Christian Slater is in it), and it was at the theatre-bit, so if it sounds a bit weird, I'm sorry. But I based it on a castle I went to ages ago. And I am really surprised that Johnny Depp didn't win the BAFTA for best actor, but hey, there's always the Oscars. And if you want to listen to the song I've got on this chapter (I finally found a translation), here is the link, because I finally found it on a that is (almost) the end. I will definitely do a prologue, but I might do another chapter if I can think of anything to write about. Oh, and listen to this song, it sounds really sad. Especially if you read the English lyrics.  
  
http://www.songjapan.com/listen.php?id=703 


	18. Epilogue

The kiss sweetest  
  
And touch so warm  
  
One smile kind  
  
In this world so cold and strong  
  
We're so close to the flame  
  
Burning brightly  
  
It won't fade away  
  
Leave us lonely  
  
The arms safest  
  
And words so good  
  
The faith deepest, yeah  
  
In this world so cold and cruel  
  
*HIM - Close To The Flame*  
  
It was almost two in the morning on January 18th at the Emma Emmerich Memorial Hospital, and Jill Redfield lay in her bed, holding little Kyle Redfield as he slept peacefully in her arms.  
  
Chris was sleeping in a chair beside her bed. She had told him to go home and come back later, but he refused, saying that he wanted to stay. She looked down as Kyle curled his tiny fingers around her own and smiled.  
  
"I must be the luckiest woman alive," She told him.  
  
It had been almost six months since the incident with Carlos and Brett. Carlos was found guilty of conspiracy, possession of a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, and was sentenced to eighteen years imprisonment. Brett was found guilty of attempted murder, ABH  
  
and possession of a class A drug (the police found it when they raided his house), and was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment. Rebecca was alive and well, though still not fully recovered, and was all set to become Rebecca Coen after Billy proposed to her on  
  
Christmas Day.  
  
Leon and Claire had officially adopted Sherry, and now Claire was expecting a little one of her own, though Jill was the only other person that knew this besides Claire. And things couldn't be any better between Chris and Jill.  
  
"You feeling ok? I mean, it doesn't still hurt does it?" Jill turned her head towards the door.  
  
"Oh, Claire, I didn't see you come in. And no, it doesn't," She replied. Claire pulled a chair up beside her sister-in-law's bed and sat on it.  
  
"Oh, God," She said. "I'm only about a month pregnant, if that, and I'm getting scared." Jill laughed.  
  
"It's ok, I was like that too. Do you want to hold him?" "What? Oh, erm... yeah, but what if I drop him, I mean, I'm really-"  
  
"Claire, you won't drop him, come on," Jill told her, still laughing. Claire smiled weakly as Jill placed Kyle in her arms.  
  
"Oh, he's adorable!" She whispered, being careful not to disturb the two sleeping boys. Jill smiled when she saw the expression on Claire's face.  
  
"I think you'll make a great mother," She told her. Claire smiled.  
  
"Do you really think so?" Jill nodded. "Hey, I couldn't keep him,  
  
could I?" Jill laughed again.  
  
"He really looks like Chris, doesn't he?" She asked. Claire nodded.  
  
"He has your eyes though. Hey, you couldn't tell me what it's like, I mean, giving birth, could you, does it hurt?"  
  
"Of course it bloody hurts! But you forget all about it when you see the baby, and, well afterwards you get all emotional and cry over nothing, I cried because I put my slippers on the wrong feet," Jill said, starting to cry. She pulled a tissue out of the box on the bedside table and blew her nose.  
  
"What's the matter?" Claire asked.  
  
"I was reliving it..." Jill wailed, wiping her eyes.  
  
"W-what?" Came a sleepy voice from beside her.  
  
"And it's alive!" Claire said.  
  
"Fuck you!" Chris shot back, rubbing his eyes. Claire faked a shocked expression and placed a hand over Kyle's ears.  
  
"Not in front of the children!" She said. "Oh, sorry Jill, he *is* your son, here." She gently handed Kyle back to Jill.  
  
"So, how are you feeling now?" Chris asked Jill, yawning.  
  
"I'm fine, but maybe you should go home and get some sleep, you look tired."  
  
"But I'm not! Honestly..." Jill raised her eyebrows as he yawned again. He ignored her and turned his attention to his son.  
  
"Hey," He said, looking down at Kyle. The baby tightened it's weak grip around his mother's fingers.  
  
"You know, we'll both still be here in the morning," Jill told Chris.  
  
"She's right you know, I'll drive you home," Claire offered. It took some persuasion, but eventually Chris agreed to leave. As soon as they closed the door to Jill's room, Claire turned around to look at her brother.  
  
"Erm...You didn't hear anything I said to Jill, did you?" She asked. Chris looked genuinely confused.  
  
"Like what?" Claire smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Oh, nothing." Chris smiled as Claire skipped down the hallway. He smiled before following her. He had heard every word.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was almost noon that day when Jill finally woke up, and she didn't wake up alone. The nurse had taken Kyle away earlier that morning, so she didn't know who could have possibly been there.  
  
"Hey, sleepyhead," Chris said, stroking Jill's cheek. Jill groaned.  
  
"I thought I told you to get some sleep."  
  
"I did," He replied. "Well, all of two hours' worth." Jill raised her hand and touched his.  
  
"Aww, were you worried about me?" She asked. Chris smiled and pretended to think.  
  
"Not really," He said.  
  
"Redfield, when I get out of here, you are going to regret this...severely." Chris smiled as Jill sat up and tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears.  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go and see Kyle now?" He asked her. Jill smiled and he took it as a yes and helped her stand up.  
  
"Did someone replace my legs with jello?" She asked as her legs gave way, and she fell back down on the bed. They both laughed and Chris helped her back up again.  
  
"I'm glad I didn't let you have your own way," She said. "Otherwise, we might have been going to see Treebeard." They continued through the hospital, towards the room that Kyle Akira Redfield was taken to. The walls were painted a light blue, with pictures of storks carrying babies painted on them, with the occasional circus or fairground painted beneath them. There weren't that many babies in the room where Kyle was.  
  
"I can't beleive it," Jill said. "I am so glad that I didn't cross the pack together." She stared dreamily through the window at baby Kyle, who was currently fast asleep.  
  
"Huh?" Jill realised what she had said and muttered that it was nothing. Chris shrugged and put his arm around his wife's shoulder.  
  
Jill leaned into him and tried to listen to the music that was currently playing softly on the hospital radio.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"What do you think will happen when Carlos gets out?" She asked. Chris turned to face her.  
  
"I don't know, and I don't really care, if he thinks that he's going to get to us, he can think again! I'm never going to let anything happen to you," He said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Jill sniffed and leaned forward, so that her head was resting against his  
  
chest.  
  
"I love you," She whispered. Chris smiled and stroked her hair.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
~*The End*~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN - Sorry that it was way too short, but I just wanted to get it out. So, that's it, and I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, tek, Spider-Bear, somebody_shoot_me (you change your name too much!), cass-spaz, Shakahna, bookluva87, Rick, Lady-Water-Dancer, ktdid and noctorro. I am so sorry if I have forgot anyone, but thank you anyway. I don't own Friends either, from which I 'borrowed' the slipper bit. And song credits go to HIM with 'Close To The Flame'. Ville's voice, especially at the start of that song just makes me go weak :). Most people don't know any songs before 'Love Metal', but that song is on 'Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights', if you don't have it, go out and buy it! And congratulations to *grits teeth* Sean Penn for winning the best actor oscar and beating Johnny Depp :'(. Why Bill Nighy wasn't nominated for Underworld, I don't know... Anyway, I'm going to go and be miserable until I can think up another story. Bye! 


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